Washington earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 5 km SE of Anacortes, Washington

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 5 km SE of Anacortes, Washington on Thu, May 4, 1978, 10:29 PM PDT (05:29 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.5 7 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
2.3 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1978-05-05 05:29:48 UTC
Depth
14.2 km (8.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.474° N, 122.563° 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 1.3 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
95°
Stations used
14

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.39 km SSW of Gold Bar, Washington · 17671 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  2. 1.82 km E of Sammamish, Washington · 17664 days ago · 11 km deep · 100 km away
  3. 1.83 km N of Woods Creek, Washington · 17661 days ago · 5 km deep · 79 km away
  4. 2.57 km ESE of Deming, Washington · 17660 days ago · 2 km deep · 49 km away
  5. 2.52 km ENE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 17657 days ago · 5 km deep · 32 km away
  6. 1.57 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington · 17651 days ago · 15 km deep · 24 km away
  7. 1.55 km SSE of Edison, Washington · 17642 days ago · 17 km deep · 13 km away
  8. 1.57 km E of Oak Bay, Canada · 17635 days ago · 47 km deep · 48 km away
  9. 1.58 km SSW of Gold Bar, Washington · 17635 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  10. 2.24 km N of La Conner, Washington · 17628 days ago · 24 km deep · 7 km away

Before

  1. 1.70 km W of Lyman, Washington · 17677 days ago · -1 km deep · 37 km away
  2. 1.55 km SE of Hansville, Washington · 17682 days ago · 50 km deep · 65 km away
  3. 1.97 km NE of Acme, Washington · 17693 days ago · -1 km deep · 46 km away
  4. 1.67 km ESE of Deming, Washington · 17698 days ago · 8 km deep · 49 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10846783. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:06 AM UTC.