Washington earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 5 km NW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 5 km NW of Orcas, Washington on Thu, Jul 23, 1981, 10:29 PM PDT (05:29 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.4 4 km N of Deming, 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
2.1 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-07-24 05:29:52 UTC
Depth
15.7 km (9.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.636° N, 122.992° 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
±0.07
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
54°
Stations used
24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 19 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.93 km W of Fobes Hill, Washington · 16490 days ago · 14 km deep · 97 km away
  2. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16489 days ago · 3 km deep · 67 km away
  3. 1.913 km NNE of Hamilton, Washington · 16474 days ago · 11 km deep · 77 km away
  4. 2.44 km N of Deming, Washington · 16473 days ago · 12 km deep · 62 km away
  5. 1.57 km WSW of Aldergrove, Canada · 16461 days ago · 37 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 1.917 km SSW of Gibsons, Canada · 16458 days ago · 14 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 1.87 km NNW of Deming, Washington · 16439 days ago · 12 km deep · 62 km away
  8. 1.54 km ENE of Blaine, Washington · 16436 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away

Before

  1. 1.8Washington · 16496 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
  2. 2.320 km S of Port Angeles East, Washington · 16497 days ago · 44 km deep · 85 km away
  3. 2.07 km E of Deming, Washington · 16503 days ago · 3 km deep · 68 km away
  4. 1.613 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 16505 days ago · 15 km deep · 9 km away
  5. 1.95 km S of Kendall, Washington · 16510 days ago · 9 km deep · 69 km away
  6. 1.97 km SSE of Kendall, Washington · 16514 days ago · 3 km deep · 70 km away
  7. 2.85 km WNW of Lofall, Washington · 16515 days ago · 52 km deep · 92 km away
  8. 2.313 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 16518 days ago · 16 km deep · 9 km away
  9. 1.87 km SSE of Kendall, Washington · 16520 days ago · 9 km deep · 69 km away
  10. 2.16 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16520 days ago · 7 km deep · 68 km away
  11. 1.95 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16520 days ago · 2 km deep · 67 km away
  12. 2.56 km E of Deming, Washington · 16521 days ago · 2 km deep · 67 km away
  13. 2.06 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16521 days ago · 2 km deep · 67 km away
  14. 1.96 km E of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 1 km deep · 67 km away
  15. 1.96 km E of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 3 km deep · 66 km away
  16. 2.36 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 2 km deep · 67 km away
  17. 1.96 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 7 km deep · 67 km away
  18. 2.26 km ENE of Deming, Washington · 16522 days ago · 2 km deep · 68 km away
  19. 1.55 km NE of Port Townsend, Washington · 16524 days ago · 26 km deep · 58 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10118548. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 9:25 PM UTC.