Oregon earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 19 km NNE of Lexington, Oregon

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 19 km NNE of Lexington, Oregon on Wed, Aug 19, 1981, 3:36 PM PDT (22:36 UTC), 2 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.2 13 km SSE of Benton City, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

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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
1981-08-19 22:36:15 UTC
Depth
2.4 km (1.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
45.598° N, 119.575° 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.

Location uncertainty
About 2.0 km horizontally, 2.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.11
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
176°
Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 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 uw10130373. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:28 PM UTC.