Oregon earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 5 km SW of Detroit, Oregon

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 5 km SW of Detroit, Oregon on Thu, Aug 27, 1981, 12:27 PM PDT (19:27 UTC), 1 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.6 3 km WSW of Tygh Valley, Oregon. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-08-27 19:27:03 UTC
Depth
1.2 km (0.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
44.692° N, 122.191° W
Region
Oregon
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.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
216°, 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayOregon earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10133013. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:20 PM UTC.