QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Longview, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Longview in the 24 hours to 1:06 am PST (09:06 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 29 km (18 mi) SSE, at 7:25 am PDT on 22 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 113 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Longview

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 explosion was recorded 40 km (25 mi) east of Longview, WA, at 12:08 pm PDT on 26 August 2025 (19:08 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 31 km N of Amboy, Washington

75 km (47 mi) NNE of Portland, OR

12:08 pm PDT, Aug 26, 2025 · · -0.8 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cowlitz County 20 kmSkamania County 41 kmLewis County 43 kmClark County 47 kmColumbia County 58 kmMultnomah County 72 kmWahkiakum County 78 kmWashington County 88 kmThurston County 88 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
12:08 pm PDT on 26 August 2025 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) east of Longview, WA · earthquakes near Longview
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-0.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cowlitz County, 20 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 443 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Longview, 40 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 18 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 17 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 23 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 30 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 20 km E of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 46.1928, -122.4230. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cowlitz County, WA 20 km (12 mi) W earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Skamania County, WA 41 km (25 mi) ESE earthquakes near Skamania County
Lewis County, WA 43 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Lewis County
Clark County, WA 47 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Clark County
Columbia County, OR 58 km (36 mi) WSW earthquakes near Columbia County
Multnomah County, OR 72 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Multnomah County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

57 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.8 4 km WSW of Yacolt, Washington
  2. 1.8 27 km N of Amboy, Washington
  3. 2.1 4 km W of Yacolt, Washington
  4. 1.8 3 km E of Kalama, Washington
  5. 2.3 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  6. 1.5 3 km WSW of Kalama, Washington
  7. 1.6 2 km NE of Lewisville, Washington
  8. 2.6 18 km NE of Amboy, Washington
  9. 1.5 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  10. 1.6 20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  11. 1.6 38 km NE of Amboy, Washington
  12. 2.1 4 km WSW of Yacolt, Washington
  13. 1.6 9 km S of Mossyrock, Washington
  14. 1.9 38 km NE of Amboy, Washington
  15. 1.6 5 km SSW of Yacolt, Washington

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.