Washington earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 14 km SW of Alder, Washington

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 14 km SW of Alder, Washington on Fri, Mar 31, 1972, 2:16 AM PST (10:16 UTC), 33 km (20 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 8 km ENE of Ashford, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Morton forecastMore in Washington

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.3 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1972-03-31 10:16:23 UTC
Depth
32.8 km (20.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
46.697° N, 122.397° W
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, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
259°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
7

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.62 km S of Vaughn, Washington · 19901 days ago · 17 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 2.13 km ENE of Des Moines, Washington · 19893 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  3. 1.80 km ESE of Burien, Washington · 19886 days ago · 26 km deep · 86 km away
  4. 2.528 km S of Morton, Washington · 19884 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
  5. 1.54 km SE of Belfair, Washington · 19884 days ago · 19 km deep · 86 km away
  6. 2.00 km N of Artondale, Washington · 19882 days ago · 48 km deep · 69 km away
  7. 2.01 km SSW of La Grande, Washington · 19881 days ago · -1 km deep · 15 km away
  8. 1.82 km E of Lea Hill, Washington · 19876 days ago · 17 km deep · 73 km away
  9. 2.07 km NE of Ashford, Washington · 19874 days ago · 12 km deep · 35 km away
  10. 1.913 km S of Carbonado, Washington · 19874 days ago · 4 km deep · 40 km away
  11. 1.90 km W of Beaux Arts Village, Washington · 19871 days ago · 20 km deep · 100 km away
  12. 2.09 km NNE of Packwood, Washington · 19869 days ago · -1 km deep · 60 km away
  13. 2.50 km WSW of Beaux Arts Village, Washington · 19865 days ago · 19 km deep · 100 km away
  14. 1.77 km N of Belfair, Washington · 19855 days ago · 18 km deep · 97 km away
  15. 2.80 km S of Burien, Washington · 19853 days ago · 26 km deep · 85 km away
  16. 1.69 km ESE of Carbonado, Washington · 19853 days ago · 6 km deep · 52 km away
  17. 2.721 km SE of Carbonado, Washington · 19853 days ago · 4 km deep · 52 km away
  18. 2.47 km NW of Belfair, Washington · 19851 days ago · 16 km deep · 97 km away
  19. 2.32 km WSW of Wilderness Rim, Washington · 19847 days ago · 18 km deep · 94 km away
  20. 3.08 km ENE of Ashford, Washington · 19844 days ago · 1 km deep · 38 km away

Before

  1. 1.51 km NE of Burien, Washington · 19905 days ago · 22 km deep · 87 km away
  2. 2.32 km S of Vaughn, Washington · 19913 days ago · 17 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 2.01 km SSW of Beaux Arts Village, Washington · 19924 days ago · 20 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 2.512 km SSE of Carbonado, Washington · 19925 days ago · 5 km deep · 45 km away
  5. 1.73 km WSW of Fox Island, Washington · 19932 days ago · 49 km deep · 64 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10852908. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC.