Washington earthquakes

M2.8 earthquake 5 km NNW of Alger, Washington

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 5 km NNW of Alger, Washington on Sat, May 20, 1972, 12:56 PM PDT (19:56 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 26 km SE of Darrington, 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
2.8 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1972-05-20 19:56:17 UTC
Depth
13.8 km (8.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.663° N, 122.378° 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 3.3 km horizontally, 3.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
296°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.05 km NE of Lofall, Washington · 19848 days ago · 22 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 3.226 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19818 days ago · 2 km deep · 98 km away
  3. 3.41 km NNW of Fobes Hill, Washington · 19813 days ago · 20 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 2.51 km NW of Fobes Hill, Washington · 19813 days ago · 22 km deep · 81 km away
  5. 3.23 km NE of La Conner, Washington · 19809 days ago · 21 km deep · 28 km away
  6. 2.76 km S of Blyn, Washington · 19807 days ago · 50 km deep · 90 km away
  7. 2.423 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19804 days ago · 9 km deep · 97 km away
  8. 2.115 km NNW of Anacortes, Washington · 19802 days ago · 18 km deep · 22 km away
  9. 2.025 km SE of Darrington, Washington · 19801 days ago · 2 km deep · 98 km away
  10. 2.51 km NE of Three Lakes, Washington · 19799 days ago · 14 km deep · 84 km away
  11. 1.821 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 19792 days ago · 47 km deep · 64 km away
  12. 2.011 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington · 19790 days ago · 29 km deep · 52 km away

Before

  1. 2.94 km WNW of Alger, Washington · 19848 days ago · 18 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 3.12 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 19851 days ago · 23 km deep · 43 km away
  3. 1.84 km NE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 19866 days ago · 18 km deep · 38 km away
  4. 2.27 km N of Burlington, Washington · 19869 days ago · -1 km deep · 14 km away
  5. 2.43 km WSW of Mount Vernon, Washington · 19870 days ago · 25 km deep · 29 km away
  6. 1.96 km NE of Lofall, Washington · 19871 days ago · 22 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 2.45 km S of Acme, Washington · 19875 days ago · 14 km deep · 13 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10853168. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC.