QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 0.9ml

Earthquake near Fox Island, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fox Island in the 24 hours to 3:24 am PST (11:24 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 18 km (11 mi) NNW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Fox Island

This page: a magnitude 0.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (3 mi) west of Fox Island, WA, at 3:47 pm PDT on 12 October 2026 (22:47 UTC), 23 km deep.

USGS: 5 km W of Fox Island, Washington

49 km (31 mi) SSW of Seattle, WA · 16 km (10 mi) NW of Lakewood, WA

3:47 pm PDT, Oct 12, 2026 · · 23 km deep · released about 0.68 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Thurston County 36 kmMason County 38 kmKitsap County 44 kmPierce County 47 kmKing County 71 kmLewis County 78 kmGrays Harbor County 86 kmJefferson County 88 kmIsland County 102 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
3:47 pm PDT on 12 October 2026 ()
Where
6 km (3 mi) west of Fox Island, WA · earthquakes near Fox Island
Magnitude
M 0.9 (ml)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Thurston County, 36 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 13 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 31 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. 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: Longbranch, Home, Artondale, Wollochet, Rosedale, Steilacoom.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 0.68 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 1.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 0.9 about 0.68 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2026-09-29 — about 75,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 11 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 27 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 24 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 18 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 16 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 47.2435, -122.7013. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Thurston County, WA 36 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near Thurston County
Mason County, WA 38 km (23 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mason County
Kitsap County, WA 44 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Kitsap County
Pierce County, WA 47 km (29 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 71 km (44 mi) ENE earthquakes near King County
Lewis County, WA 78 km (48 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lewis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 3 km ESE of Southworth, Washington
  2. 1.2 11 km S of Shelton, Washington
  3. 1.6 4 km NNW of Kapowsin, Washington
  4. 0.5 6 km WNW of Gorst, Washington
  5. -0.3 10 km NW of Belfair, Washington
  6. 1.3 4 km WSW of Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Washington
  7. 1.6 5 km NE of McCleary, Washington
  8. 0.9 0 km WNW of Rocky Point, Washington
  9. 1.4 15 km WSW of Tumwater, Washington
  10. 2.2 3 km NW of Skokomish, Washington
  11. 0.5 11 km S of Shelton, Washington
  12. 1.3 1 km SSW of Kapowsin, Washington
  13. 1.0 4 km NNE of Dash Point, Washington
  14. 1.5 7 km W of Gorst, Washington
  15. 0.4 9 km ENE of Hoodsport, 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.