Washington earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake Washington

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck in Washington on Sun, Mar 12, 1978, 4:45 AM PST (12:45 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.9 2 km SSW of Entiat, 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
1978-03-12 12:45:41 UTC
Depth
24.4 km (15.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
46.857° N, 120.485° 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, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
226°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
10

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 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.92 km SSW of Entiat, Washington · 17725 days ago · 4 km deep · 91 km away
  2. 1.66 km NE of Waterville, Washington · 17723 days ago · 2 km deep · 99 km away
  3. 2.215 km W of Othello, Washington · 17716 days ago · 2 km deep · 84 km away
  4. 1.622 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington · 17704 days ago · 22 km deep · 70 km away
  5. 1.711 km S of Ellensburg, Washington · 17704 days ago · 23 km deep · 6 km away
  6. 1.610 km W of Entiat, Washington · 17696 days ago · 0 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 1.88 km WNW of Cascade Valley, Washington · 17696 days ago · 15 km deep · 86 km away
  8. 3.37 km NNW of Entiat, Washington · 17692 days ago · 4 km deep · 100 km away
  9. 1.68 km SSE of Cliffdell, Washington · 17686 days ago · 2 km deep · 40 km away
  10. 1.611 km SSE of Royal City, Washington · 17676 days ago · 2 km deep · 71 km away
  11. 1.511 km SSE of Royal City, Washington · 17676 days ago · 3 km deep · 71 km away
  12. 1.510 km SSE of Royal City, Washington · 17676 days ago · 3 km deep · 70 km away

Before

  1. 2.220 km SSE of White Swan, Washington · 17739 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 1.82 km S of Entiat, Washington · 17741 days ago · 3 km deep · 91 km away
  3. 2.4Washington · 17744 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 2.010 km NNW of West Richland, Washington · 17745 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 2.110 km NNW of West Richland, Washington · 17747 days ago · 0 km deep · 96 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10846148. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 9:39 AM UTC.