Washington earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington on Wed, Jul 1, 1981, 11:09 AM PDT (18:09 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.8 5 km WNW of Lofall, 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
1981-07-01 18:09:45 UTC
Depth
16.4 km (10.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.652° N, 123.109° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
62°
Stations used
20

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 23 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.85 km WNW of Lofall, Washington · 16516 days ago · 52 km deep · 96 km away
  2. 1.97 km SSE of Kendall, Washington · 16515 days ago · 3 km deep · 77 km away
  3. 1.95 km S of Kendall, Washington · 16511 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  4. 1.613 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 16506 days ago · 15 km deep · 1 km away
  5. 2.07 km E of Deming, Washington · 16503 days ago · 3 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 2.320 km S of Port Angeles East, Washington · 16498 days ago · 44 km deep · 84 km away
  7. 1.8Washington · 16497 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
  8. 2.15 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 16496 days ago · 16 km deep · 9 km away
  9. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16490 days ago · 3 km deep · 75 km away
  10. 1.913 km NNE of Hamilton, Washington · 16475 days ago · 11 km deep · 86 km away
  11. 2.44 km N of Deming, Washington · 16473 days ago · 12 km deep · 69 km away
  12. 1.57 km WSW of Aldergrove, Canada · 16461 days ago · 37 km deep · 58 km away

Before

  1. 1.87 km SSE of Kendall, Washington · 16521 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16521 days ago · 7 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 1.95 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16521 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 2.56 km E of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 2.06 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 1.96 km E of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  7. 1.96 km E of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 3 km deep · 74 km away
  8. 2.36 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  9. 1.96 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16523 days ago · 7 km deep · 75 km away
  10. 2.26 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16523 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  11. 1.55 km NE of Port Townsend, Washington · 16524 days ago · 26 km deep · 64 km away
  12. 1.97 km E of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
  13. 2.37 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  14. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  15. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  16. 2.77 km S of Kendall, Washington · 16527 days ago · 2 km deep · 76 km away
  17. 2.15 km E of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 1 km deep · 74 km away
  18. 2.36 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16527 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  19. 3.47 km S of Kendall, Washington · 16527 days ago · 5 km deep · 75 km away
  20. 1.915 km NNE of Hamilton, Washington · 16538 days ago · -1 km deep · 87 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10111473. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC.