Washington earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 19 km WSW of Othello, Washington

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 19 km WSW of Othello, Washington on Tue, Oct 17, 1972, 10:34 AM PDT (17:34 UTC), 2 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 17 km S of Mesa, 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
1.8 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1972-10-17 17:34:48 UTC
Depth
2.4 km (1.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
46.741° N, 119.400° 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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
90°
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10854478. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 11:42 AM UTC.