Washington earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington on Mon, Mar 16, 1981, 4:46 PM PST (00:46 UTC), 17 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.4 7 km SSE of Coupeville, 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
2.3 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-03-17 00:46:53 UTC
Depth
16.5 km (10.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.653° N, 123.110° 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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.08
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
51°
Stations used
18

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.47 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 16617 days ago · 25 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 2.24 km S of Coupeville, Washington · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 61 km away
  3. 1.9Washington · 16608 days ago · 2 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 1.68 km WNW of Alger, Washington · 16601 days ago · -1 km deep · 49 km away
  5. 1.69 km ESE of Salt Spring Island, Canada · 16600 days ago · 20 km deep · 24 km away
  6. 1.84 km SSW of Hamilton, Washington · 16597 days ago · 3 km deep · 82 km away
  7. 1.711 km NNE of North Saanich, Canada · 16595 days ago · 14 km deep · 21 km away
  8. 2.43 km ENE of Sedro-Woolley, Washington · 16593 days ago · 3 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 1.56 km SSE of Alger, Washington · 16592 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 1.77 km NNW of Kingston, Washington · 16586 days ago · 29 km deep · 98 km away
  11. 1.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16586 days ago · 0 km deep · 96 km away
  12. 1.76 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 0 km deep · 96 km away
  13. 2.05 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 5 km deep · 98 km away
  14. 1.65 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 1 km deep · 96 km away
  15. 2.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 1 km deep · 97 km away
  16. 1.55 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 0 km deep · 96 km away
  17. 1.5Washington · 16577 days ago · 1 km deep · 96 km away
  18. 2.413 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington · 16568 days ago · 29 km deep · 45 km away
  19. 2.06 km NNE of Port Townsend, Washington · 16567 days ago · 21 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 1.56 km SE of Freeland, Washington · 16625 days ago · 50 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 1.616 km WNW of Langford, Canada · 16630 days ago · 25 km deep · 45 km away
  3. 1.55 km ENE of Orcas, Washington · 16631 days ago · 16 km deep · 18 km away
  4. 2.116 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 16633 days ago · 40 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 1.613 km NNE of Orcas, Washington · 16638 days ago · 9 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 2.66 km NNE of Cedar, Canada · 16641 days ago · 59 km deep · 77 km away
  7. 1.512 km E of Acme, Washington · 16645 days ago · -1 km deep · 79 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10105258. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 1:26 AM UTC.