Washington earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 3 km E of Cle Elum, Washington

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 3 km E of Cle Elum, Washington on Tue, Feb 17, 1981, 10:09 PM PST (06:09 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

Cle Elum forecast More in Washington

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.2 (md), light
Local time: Tue, Feb 17, 1981, 10:09 PM PST
UTC: 1981-02-18 06:09:38 UTC
Depth: 2.5 km (1.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 47.197° N, 120.892° W
Region: Washington
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 9.5% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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 0.4 km horizontally, 0.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.08
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 51°
Stations used: 45

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Washington earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10109758 (also filed as ushis3704, usp0001c8h, atlas19810218060938). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:23 AM UTC.