Washington earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 1 km NW of Oak Harbor, Washington

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 1 km NW of Oak Harbor, Washington on Tue, Dec 8, 1981, 12:48 PM PST (20:48 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.8 2 km WNW of Echo Lake, 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
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-08 20:48:33 UTC
Depth
23.8 km (14.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.302° N, 122.663° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
93°
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.5Washington · 16340 days ago · 11 km deep · 43 km away
  2. 1.82 km WNW of Echo Lake, Washington · 16336 days ago · 20 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 2.02 km SW of Cottage Lake, Washington · 16335 days ago · 15 km deep · 76 km away
  4. 2.918 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16335 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  5. 1.9Washington · 16335 days ago · -1 km deep · 84 km away
  6. 1.53 km NNW of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 16334 days ago · 4 km deep · 84 km away
  7. 1.63 km ENE of Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Washington · 16332 days ago · -1 km deep · 85 km away
  8. 1.70 km NW of Normandy Park, Washington · 16331 days ago · 17 km deep · 99 km away
  9. 1.61 km SE of Bothell East, Washington · 16330 days ago · 20 km deep · 67 km away
  10. 2.72 km NE of Port Hadlock-Irondale, Washington · 16322 days ago · 55 km deep · 30 km away
  11. 1.66 km WSW of Lake Cavanaugh, Washington · 16321 days ago · 9 km deep · 41 km away
  12. 1.86 km ESE of Bethel, Washington · 16319 days ago · 35 km deep · 94 km away
  13. 2.26 km W of Rockport, Washington · 16315 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  14. 2.06 km W of Rockport, Washington · 16315 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  15. 3.18 km WSW of Ferndale, Washington · 16307 days ago · 17 km deep · 57 km away
  16. 1.89 km SSE of Birch Bay, Washington · 16305 days ago · 18 km deep · 60 km away
  17. 1.75 km W of Seattle, Washington · 16302 days ago · 21 km deep · 80 km away

Before

  1. 1.91 km SE of Lake Stevens, Washington · 16364 days ago · 0 km deep · 56 km away
  2. 1.823 km NNW of Hoodsport, Washington · 16365 days ago · 46 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 3.54 km NNE of Tracyton, Washington · 16371 days ago · 21 km deep · 73 km away
  4. 3.75 km SW of Clinton, Washington · 16385 days ago · 26 km deep · 44 km away
  5. 1.51 km E of White Center, Washington · 16386 days ago · 22 km deep · 91 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10121683. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC.