Washington earthquakes

M2.0 earthquake 3 km WNW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 3 km WNW of Orcas, Washington on Fri, Dec 8, 1972, 5:57 PM PST (01:57 UTC), 12 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.7 6 km ESE of Deming, 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
2.0 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1972-12-09 01:57:37 UTC
Depth
11.8 km (7.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.615° N, 122.990° 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 2.2 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
239°, 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: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.76 km ESE of Deming, Washington · 19645 days ago · 8 km deep · 66 km away
  2. 2.66 km E of Deming, Washington · 19645 days ago · 9 km deep · 67 km away
  3. 2.27 km WSW of Lake Cavanaugh, Washington · 19622 days ago · 14 km deep · 73 km away
  4. 2.47 km NNE of Bryant, Washington · 19622 days ago · 14 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 2.36 km SW of Marietta, Washington · 19621 days ago · 24 km deep · 30 km away
  6. 1.66 km W of Lofall, Washington · 19609 days ago · 18 km deep · 92 km away
  7. 2.84 km E of Oak Bay, Canada · 19598 days ago · 23 km deep · 26 km away
  8. 2.18 km SW of Carlsborg, Washington · 19590 days ago · 44 km deep · 68 km away

Before

  1. 3.34 km WSW of Orcas, Washington · 19645 days ago · 5 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 1.76 km S of Port Hadlock-Irondale, Washington · 19648 days ago · 29 km deep · 73 km away
  3. 3.927 km S of Port Angeles East, Washington · 19648 days ago · 43 km deep · 90 km away
  4. 2.12 km NW of Clear Lake, Washington · 19652 days ago · 22 km deep · 56 km away
  5. 1.57 km NE of Brinnon, Washington · 19654 days ago · -1 km deep · 99 km away
  6. 1.57 km WNW of Bangor Trident Base, Washington · 19654 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 2.45 km SSE of Acme, Washington · 19655 days ago · 9 km deep · 61 km away
  8. 2.07 km NE of Quilcene, Washington · 19655 days ago · 46 km deep · 84 km away
  9. 2.04 km ESE of Acme, Washington · 19662 days ago · 17 km deep · 63 km away
  10. 2.44 km ESE of Acme, Washington · 19662 days ago · 17 km deep · 62 km away
  11. 1.75 km N of Lofall, Washington · 19666 days ago · 18 km deep · 87 km away
  12. 4.13 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 19675 days ago · 44 km deep · 30 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10855233. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:01 AM UTC.