Washington earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 19 km NW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 19 km NW of Orcas, Washington on Sun, Apr 17, 1983, 11:36 PM PST (07:36 UTC), 56 km (35 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 8 km WSW of White Rock, Canada. 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
1.7 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1983-04-18 07:36:51 UTC
Depth
55.7 km (34.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.742° N, 123.092° 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 2.7 km horizontally, 2.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
273°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

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. 2.18 km WSW of White Rock, Canada · 15862 days ago · 15 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 1.94 km NE of Camano, Washington · 15861 days ago · 22 km deep · 74 km away
  3. 2.23 km S of Bay View, Washington · 15860 days ago · 11 km deep · 56 km away
  4. 2.012 km S of Glacier, Washington · 15859 days ago · -1 km deep · 87 km away
  5. 2.55 km NNE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 15856 days ago · 17 km deep · 79 km away
  6. 1.85 km NE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 15856 days ago · 15 km deep · 80 km away
  7. 1.74 km N of Quilcene, Washington · 15854 days ago · 5 km deep · 99 km away
  8. 1.95 km NE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 15854 days ago · 16 km deep · 79 km away
  9. 1.99 km NNE of Sedro-Woolley, Washington · 15850 days ago · 15 km deep · 67 km away
  10. 1.813 km SSW of Bell Hill, Washington · 15850 days ago · 7 km deep · 89 km away
  11. 2.75 km N of Port Ludlow, Washington · 15849 days ago · 18 km deep · 90 km away
  12. 2.96 km WSW of Lake Cavanaugh, Washington · 15848 days ago · 8 km deep · 88 km away
  13. 2.111 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 15832 days ago · 57 km deep · 8 km away
  14. 1.911 km NW of Coupeville, Washington · 15820 days ago · 21 km deep · 56 km away
  15. 2.02 km W of Port Angeles East, Washington · 15817 days ago · 37 km deep · 74 km away
  16. 1.64 km N of Bryant, Washington · 15812 days ago · 16 km deep · 86 km away
  17. 1.87 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 15808 days ago · 15 km deep · 12 km away
  18. 1.65 km E of Ault Field, Washington · 15805 days ago · 23 km deep · 58 km away
  19. 2.010 km NW of Concrete, Washington · 15805 days ago · 0 km deep · 94 km away

Before

  1. 1.727 km N of Sekiu, Washington · 15865 days ago · 5 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 1.73 km SSE of Pitt Meadows, Canada · 15869 days ago · 2 km deep · 59 km away
  3. 1.76 km S of Anacortes, Washington · 15872 days ago · 24 km deep · 47 km away
  4. 2.715 km NW of Port Townsend, Washington · 15875 days ago · 42 km deep · 60 km away
  5. 1.71 km S of Bay View, Washington · 15878 days ago · 16 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 2.33 km WNW of La Conner, Washington · 15884 days ago · 18 km deep · 56 km away
  7. 2.25 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 15887 days ago · 15 km deep · 15 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10160568. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:28 PM UTC.