QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 0.9ml

Earthquake near Tacoma, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Tacoma in the 24 hours to 9:46 pm PST (05:46 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 27 km (17 mi) NW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tacoma

This page: a magnitude 0.9 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) southeast of Tacoma, WA, at 9:45 am PDT on 29 October 2026 (16:45 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 5 km S of Carbonado, Washington

69 km (43 mi) SSE of Seattle, WA · 32 km (20 mi) SSE of Auburn, WA

9:45 am PDT, Oct 29, 2026 · · 13 km deep · released about 0.72 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 8 kmKing County 53 kmLewis County 56 kmThurston County 60 kmKitsap County 81 kmMason County 92 kmKittitas County 104 kmCowlitz County 105 kmSkamania County 112 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
9:45 am PDT on 29 October 2026 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) southeast of Tacoma, WA · earthquakes near Tacoma
Magnitude
M 0.9 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 8 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 13 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: Crocker, Prairie Heights, Orting, Prairie Ridge, Buckley, McMillin.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 0.72 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 21,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1,300× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 0.9 about 0.72 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 42 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 42 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 46 km NNW 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 47.0332, -122.0493. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 53 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near King County
Lewis County, WA 56 km (35 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County
Thurston County, WA 60 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Thurston County
Kitsap County, WA 81 km (50 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 92 km (57 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mason County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 0.2 12 km E of Ashford, Washington
  2. 0.8 3 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  3. 0.6 17 km NE of Ashford, Washington
  4. 0.7 2 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  5. 1.6 4 km NNW of Kapowsin, Washington
  6. 1.4 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  7. 1.0 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  8. 1.6 2 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  9. 1.8 3 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  10. 0.7 3 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  11. 0.1 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  12. 0.8 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  13. 1.6 13 km ESE of Enumclaw, Washington
  14. 0.6 3 km SSW of Ashford, Washington
  15. 0.8 13 km SE of Ashford, 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.