QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Tumwater, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Tumwater in the 24 hours to 5:48 am PST (13:48 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 46 km (29 mi) NNE, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tumwater

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Tumwater, WA, at 3:12 pm PDT on 22 June 2026 (22:12 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 5 km W of Tumwater, Washington

7 km (4 mi) WSW of Olympia, WA · 82 km (51 mi) SW of Seattle, WA

3:12 pm PDT, Jun 22, 2026 · · -0.1 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Thurston County 14 kmMason County 40 kmPierce County 63 kmGrays Harbor County 65 kmLewis County 66 kmKitsap County 74 kmPacific County 80 kmWahkiakum County 87 kmCowlitz County 94 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
3:12 pm PDT on 22 June 2026 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Tumwater, WA · earthquakes near Tumwater
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-0.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Thurston County, 14 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Olympia structure, 7 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 143 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 Tumwater, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Olympia, Lacey, Tanglewilde, Tanglewilde-Thompson Place, Tenino, McCleary.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 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 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 24 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 29 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 46 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 30 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 8 km N of Satsop, Washington · 37 km W 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 47.0135, -122.9783. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Thurston County, WA 14 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near Thurston County
Mason County, WA 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mason County
Pierce County, WA 63 km (39 mi) E earthquakes near Pierce County
Grays Harbor County, WA 65 km (41 mi) W earthquakes near Grays Harbor County
Lewis County, WA 66 km (41 mi) SE earthquakes near Lewis County
Kitsap County, WA 74 km (46 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kitsap County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.2 11 km S of Shelton, Washington
  2. 1.6 5 km NE of McCleary, Washington
  3. 1.4 15 km WSW of Tumwater, Washington
  4. 2.2 3 km NW of Skokomish, Washington
  5. 0.5 11 km S of Shelton, Washington
  6. 0.4 9 km ENE of Hoodsport, Washington
  7. 1.4 9 km ESE of McCleary, Washington
  8. 1.9 1 km SE of Belfair, Washington
  9. 0.9 5 km W of Fox Island, Washington
  10. 1.5 3 km WSW of Hoodsport, Washington
  11. 1.3 4 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  12. 1.1 11 km S of Shelton, Washington
  13. 1.6 5 km W of Burley, Washington
  14. 1.9 6 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  15. 1.3 4 km WNW of Wauna, 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.