Washington earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 6 km SE of Freeland, Washington

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 6 km SE of Freeland, Washington on Mon, Mar 16, 1981, 1:01 PM PST (21:01 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.3 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Freeland 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
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-03-16 21:01:22 UTC
Depth
50.3 km (31.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
47.961° N, 122.473° 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 0.4 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
79°
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: 39 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.313 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 16626 days ago · 17 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 1.74 km WNW of Burien, Washington · 16621 days ago · 17 km deep · 53 km away
  3. 2.47 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 16617 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  4. 1.518 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16617 days ago · 2 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 2.02 km WNW of Belfair, Washington · 16612 days ago · 1 km deep · 63 km away
  6. 2.24 km S of Coupeville, Washington · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 29 km away
  7. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 2.07 km NNE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · 7 km deep · 72 km away
  9. 2.74 km WNW of Wauna, Washington · 16609 days ago · 23 km deep · 65 km away
  10. 1.9Washington · 16608 days ago · 2 km deep · 64 km away
  11. 1.7Washington · 16608 days ago · 4 km deep · 71 km away
  12. 1.53 km SE of Echo Lake, Washington · 16607 days ago · 16 km deep · 40 km away
  13. 2.07 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16607 days ago · 8 km deep · 70 km away
  14. 1.97 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16607 days ago · 9 km deep · 70 km away
  15. 1.811 km NNE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16604 days ago · 13 km deep · 66 km away
  16. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  17. 1.77 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · 4 km deep · 72 km away
  18. 1.68 km WNW of Alger, Washington · 16602 days ago · -1 km deep · 78 km away
  19. 2.54 km SSW of Gorst, Washington · 16600 days ago · 24 km deep · 56 km away
  20. 1.84 km SSW of Hamilton, Washington · 16597 days ago · 3 km deep · 67 km away
  21. 1.916 km NNE of May Creek, Washington · 16596 days ago · 7 km deep · 68 km away
  22. 2.43 km ENE of Sedro-Woolley, Washington · 16594 days ago · 3 km deep · 65 km away
  23. 1.56 km SSE of Alger, Washington · 16592 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
  24. 2.42 km SSE of Maple Heights-Lake Desire, Washington · 16592 days ago · 17 km deep · 66 km away
  25. 1.77 km NNW of Kingston, Washington · 16587 days ago · 29 km deep · 13 km away
  26. 1.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16587 days ago · 0 km deep · 58 km away
  27. 1.54 km WSW of Chico, Washington · 16585 days ago · 12 km deep · 46 km away
  28. 2.14 km WSW of Chico, Washington · 16585 days ago · 13 km deep · 46 km away
  29. 1.6Puget Sound region, Washington · 16583 days ago · 17 km deep · 60 km away
  30. 1.76 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16580 days ago · 0 km deep · 58 km away
  31. 2.05 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16580 days ago · 5 km deep · 59 km away
  32. 1.65 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16580 days ago · 1 km deep · 58 km away
  33. 2.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16580 days ago · 1 km deep · 59 km away
  34. 1.55 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16580 days ago · 0 km deep · 58 km away
  35. 1.5Washington · 16578 days ago · 1 km deep · 58 km away
  36. 1.52 km SW of Roosevelt, Washington · 16576 days ago · 25 km deep · 34 km away
  37. 1.81 km SE of Enetai, Washington · 16571 days ago · 32 km deep · 43 km away
  38. 2.413 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington · 16568 days ago · 29 km deep · 46 km away
  39. 2.06 km NNE of Port Townsend, Washington · 16567 days ago · 21 km deep · 30 km away

Before

  1. 2.410 km NE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16626 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  2. 1.918 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 1.618 km NE of May Creek, Washington · 16627 days ago · 6 km deep · 71 km away
  4. 1.518 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 3.619 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 1.615 km NNE of May Creek, Washington · 16628 days ago · 8 km deep · 68 km away
  7. 1.55 km ENE of Orcas, Washington · 16632 days ago · 16 km deep · 78 km away
  8. 2.116 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 16634 days ago · 40 km deep · 66 km away
  9. 1.75 km E of Carnation, Washington · 16637 days ago · 15 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 2.012 km N of Concrete, Washington · 16638 days ago · -1 km deep · 95 km away
  11. 1.613 km NNE of Orcas, Washington · 16639 days ago · 9 km deep · 87 km away
  12. 1.512 km E of Acme, Washington · 16646 days ago · -1 km deep · 91 km away
  13. 1.81 km WNW of Federal Way, Washington · 16647 days ago · 15 km deep · 71 km away
  14. 2.00 km ENE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 16650 days ago · 7 km deep · 52 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10105033. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC.