Washington earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 4 km WNW of Alger, Washington

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 4 km WNW of Alger, Washington on Sat, May 20, 1972, 9:32 AM PDT (16:32 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 1 km NNW of Fobes Hill, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.9 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1972-05-20 16:32:16 UTC
Depth
17.5 km (10.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.630° N, 122.402° 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 7.5 km horizontally, 13.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
292°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.85 km NNW of Alger, Washington · 19856 days ago · 14 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 2.05 km NE of Lofall, Washington · 19856 days ago · 22 km deep · 88 km away
  3. 1.93 km W of Shoreline, Washington · 19844 days ago · 16 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 1.61 km ESE of Indianola, Washington · 19838 days ago · 19 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 3.226 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19826 days ago · 2 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 3.41 km NNW of Fobes Hill, Washington · 19821 days ago · 20 km deep · 77 km away
  7. 2.51 km NW of Fobes Hill, Washington · 19821 days ago · 22 km deep · 77 km away
  8. 3.23 km NE of La Conner, Washington · 19817 days ago · 21 km deep · 24 km away
  9. 2.76 km S of Blyn, Washington · 19815 days ago · 50 km deep · 86 km away
  10. 2.423 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19812 days ago · 9 km deep · 96 km away
  11. 2.115 km NNW of Anacortes, Washington · 19810 days ago · 18 km deep · 20 km away
  12. 2.025 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19809 days ago · 2 km deep · 97 km away
  13. 2.51 km NE of Three Lakes, Washington · 19807 days ago · 14 km deep · 81 km away
  14. 1.821 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 19800 days ago · 47 km deep · 61 km away
  15. 2.011 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington · 19799 days ago · 29 km deep · 48 km away

Before

  1. 3.12 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 19859 days ago · 23 km deep · 41 km away
  2. 1.84 km NE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 19874 days ago · 18 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 2.27 km N of Burlington, Washington · 19877 days ago · -1 km deep · 11 km away
  4. 1.54 km SE of Quilcene, Washington · 19877 days ago · 19 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 2.43 km WSW of Mount Vernon, Washington · 19878 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 1.96 km NE of Lofall, Washington · 19880 days ago · 22 km deep · 87 km away
  7. 2.45 km S of Acme, Washington · 19883 days ago · 14 km deep · 15 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10853163. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:57 AM UTC.