QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Enumclaw, WA

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 explosion was recorded 12 km (8 mi) ESE of Enumclaw, WA, at 1:24 pm PDT on 8 October 2026 (20:24 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

This was on 8 October 2026. The latest near Enumclaw: M 2.5 on 24 October 2025.

USGS: 12 km ESE of Enumclaw, Washington

63 km (39 mi) SE of Seattle, WA · 32 km (20 mi) ESE of Auburn, WA

1:24 pm PDT, Oct 8, 2026 · · -1.0 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 27 kmKing County 36 kmLewis County 77 kmThurston County 80 kmKitsap County 80 kmKittitas County 88 kmSnohomish County 99 kmMason County 103 kmYakima County 115 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
1:24 pm PDT on 8 October 2026 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) ESE of Enumclaw, WA · earthquakes near Enumclaw
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
-1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 27 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 4 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Enumclaw, 12 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.

Likely felt in: Enumclaw 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 92× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 46 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 46 km WNW 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 47.1702, -121.8387. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 27 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 36 km (22 mi) N earthquakes near King County
Lewis County, WA 77 km (48 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County
Thurston County, WA 80 km (49 mi) WSW earthquakes near Thurston County
Kitsap County, WA 80 km (50 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Kittitas County, WA 88 km (55 mi) E earthquakes near Kittitas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.0 4 km WSW of Ravensdale, Washington
  2. 1.1 4 km NNE of Tanner, Washington
  3. 1.8 6 km WSW of Wilderness Rim, Washington
  4. 1.6 9 km ESE of Carbonado, Washington
  5. 0.5 24 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  6. 0.1 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  7. 0.7 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  8. 1.0 1 km NNW of Maple Valley, 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.

Revisions

USGS refines a solution as more stations report. Every change we have seen is listed here.

What changedFromToWhen
event typeearthquakeexplosion
longitude-121.83-121.84
latitude47.1747.17
depth-1.04-1.03
magnitude1.711.69

On USGS

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