Washington earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 6 km W of Seattle, Washington

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 6 km W of Seattle, Washington on Fri, Jan 23, 1981, 8:46 AM PST (16:46 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 19 km NNE of Index, 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
3.0 (md), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-01-23 16:46:47 UTC
Depth
22.1 km (13.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
47.600° N, 122.416° 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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
43°
Stations used
29

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.77 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16672 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
  2. 1.57 km ENE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 16670 days ago · 0 km deep · 84 km away
  3. 1.514 km SE of Verlot, Washington · 16667 days ago · 8 km deep · 75 km away
  4. 1.93 km WSW of Big Lake, Washington · 16667 days ago · 15 km deep · 89 km away
  5. 1.55 km ESE of Oso, Washington · 16665 days ago · -1 km deep · 84 km away
  6. 1.814 km SW of Alder, Washington · 16664 days ago · 20 km deep · 99 km away
  7. 1.911 km NNW of Swede Heaven, Washington · 16655 days ago · 9 km deep · 98 km away
  8. 2.00 km ENE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 16649 days ago · 7 km deep · 40 km away
  9. 1.81 km WNW of Federal Way, Washington · 16646 days ago · 15 km deep · 31 km away
  10. 1.75 km E of Carnation, Washington · 16636 days ago · 15 km deep · 44 km away
  11. 2.116 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 16633 days ago · 40 km deep · 99 km away
  12. 2.67 km NE of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington · 16631 days ago · 7 km deep · 83 km away
  13. 1.615 km NNE of May Creek, Washington · 16627 days ago · 8 km deep · 76 km away
  14. 3.619 km NNE of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 81 km away
  15. 1.518 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 80 km away
  16. 1.618 km NE of May Creek, Washington · 16627 days ago · 6 km deep · 80 km away
  17. 1.918 km N of Index, Washington · 16627 days ago · 5 km deep · 80 km away
  18. 2.410 km NE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16626 days ago · 6 km deep · 53 km away
  19. 1.56 km SE of Freeland, Washington · 16625 days ago · 50 km deep · 40 km away
  20. 1.74 km WNW of Burien, Washington · 16620 days ago · 17 km deep · 12 km away

Before

  1. 1.82 km NW of Mirrormont, Washington · 16680 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
  2. 1.93 km SSW of Keyport, Washington · 16688 days ago · 54 km deep · 18 km away
  3. 1.823 km W of Skokomish, Washington · 16690 days ago · 40 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 2.014 km ENE of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington · 16700 days ago · 4 km deep · 92 km away
  5. 1.68 km ENE of Snoqualmie, Washington · 16702 days ago · 9 km deep · 52 km away
  6. 1.912 km ESE of Carbonado, Washington · 16703 days ago · 16 km deep · 73 km away
  7. 1.91 km NNE of Picnic Point, Washington · 16705 days ago · 7 km deep · 33 km away
  8. 1.57 km NE of Bonney Lake, Washington · 16706 days ago · 12 km deep · 48 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10096313 (also filed as usp0001bvc). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:26 AM UTC.