Washington earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 6 km SW of Friday Harbor, Washington

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 6 km SW of Friday Harbor, Washington on Mon, Jan 12, 1981, 4:57 AM PST (12:57 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 12 km WNW of Orcas, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Friday Harbor 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: 1.7 (md), micro
Local time: Mon, Jan 12, 1981, 4:57 AM PST
UTC: 1981-01-12 12:57:29 UTC
Depth: 47.5 km (29.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 48.489° N, 123.072° W
Region: Washington
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 0.6 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.12
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 66°
Stations used: 21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 2 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 uw10093088. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:51 AM UTC.