Washington earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 1 km WNW of Federal Way, Washington

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 1 km WNW of Federal Way, Washington on Mon, Feb 23, 1981, 9:55 AM PST (17:55 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 7 km NE of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Federal Way forecastMore in Washington

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
1981-02-23 17:55:23 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
47.329° N, 122.332° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
66°
Stations used
26

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 28 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.75 km E of Carnation, Washington · 16637 days ago · 15 km deep · 52 km away
  2. 2.67 km NE of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington · 16632 days ago · 7 km deep · 76 km away
  3. 1.615 km NNE of May Creek, Washington · 16628 days ago · 8 km deep · 92 km away
  4. 3.619 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 97 km away
  5. 1.518 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 95 km away
  6. 1.618 km NE of May Creek, Washington · 16627 days ago · 6 km deep · 95 km away
  7. 1.918 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  8. 2.410 km NE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16626 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
  9. 1.56 km SE of Freeland, Washington · 16626 days ago · 50 km deep · 71 km away
  10. 1.74 km WNW of Burien, Washington · 16621 days ago · 17 km deep · 18 km away
  11. 2.47 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 16617 days ago · 25 km deep · 95 km away
  12. 1.518 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16617 days ago · 2 km deep · 96 km away
  13. 2.02 km WNW of Belfair, Washington · 16611 days ago · 1 km deep · 42 km away
  14. 2.24 km S of Coupeville, Washington · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 98 km away
  15. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · -1 km deep · 58 km away
  16. 2.07 km NNE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · 7 km deep · 59 km away
  17. 2.74 km WNW of Wauna, Washington · 16609 days ago · 23 km deep · 28 km away
  18. 1.7Washington · 16608 days ago · 4 km deep · 95 km away
  19. 1.53 km SE of Echo Lake, Washington · 16607 days ago · 16 km deep · 54 km away
  20. 2.07 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16607 days ago · 8 km deep · 51 km away
  21. 1.97 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16607 days ago · 9 km deep · 51 km away
  22. 1.811 km NNE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16604 days ago · 13 km deep · 54 km away
  23. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · -1 km deep · 58 km away
  24. 1.77 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · 4 km deep · 58 km away
  25. 2.54 km SSW of Gorst, Washington · 16600 days ago · 24 km deep · 34 km away
  26. 1.916 km NNE of May Creek, Washington · 16596 days ago · 7 km deep · 93 km away
  27. 2.42 km SSE of Maple Heights-Lake Desire, Washington · 16592 days ago · 17 km deep · 22 km away
  28. 1.77 km NNW of Kingston, Washington · 16587 days ago · 29 km deep · 60 km away

Before

  1. 2.00 km ENE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 16649 days ago · 7 km deep · 52 km away
  2. 1.814 km SW of Alder, Washington · 16664 days ago · 20 km deep · 69 km away
  3. 1.514 km SE of Verlot, Washington · 16667 days ago · 8 km deep · 93 km away
  4. 2.77 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16673 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10111683. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:12 PM UTC.