M1.6 earthquake 11 km E of Prosser, Washington
A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 11 km E of Prosser, Washington on Sun, Dec 12, 1971, 9:50 PM PST (05:50 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.5 Washington. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 1.6 (md), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-12-13 05:50:33 UTC
- Depth
- 8.2 km (5.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 46.191° N, 119.616° W
- Region
- Washington
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 0.7 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.42
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 186°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.819 km NE of Zillah, Washington · 20000 days ago · 16 km deep · 54 km away
- 2.33 km NW of West Richland, Washington · 19975 days ago · 0 km deep · 23 km away
- 2.411 km SE of Royal City, Washington · 19970 days ago · 3 km deep · 70 km away
- 1.617 km WNW of Othello, Washington · 19966 days ago · 3 km deep · 80 km away
- 2.5Washington · 19955 days ago · 4 km deep · 73 km away
Before
- 1.718 km W of Othello, Washington · 20020 days ago · 2 km deep · 71 km away
- 1.518 km SW of Othello, Washington · 20034 days ago · 0 km deep · 61 km away
- 1.520 km SW of Othello, Washington · 20040 days ago · 2 km deep · 60 km away
- 2.35 km NW of Kahlotus, Washington · 20040 days ago · 6 km deep · 95 km away
- 1.919 km SW of Othello, Washington · 20041 days ago · 0 km deep · 61 km away
Earthquakes todayWashington earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10852223. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 2:01 AM UTC.