Washington earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 3 km NE of West Valley, Washington

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 3 km NE of West Valley, Washington on Tue, Dec 24, 1985, 9:28 PM PST (05:28 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 3 km NE of West Valley, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

West Valley forecastMore in Washington

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1985-12-25 05:28:08 UTC
Depth
8.4 km (5.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
46.613° N, 120.567° 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 0.8 km horizontally, 1.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
192°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
6

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.13 km NE of West Valley, Washington · 14881 days ago · 7 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.823 km NNE of Terrace Heights, Washington · 14877 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 1.723 km NNE of Terrace Heights, Washington · 14877 days ago · 3 km deep · 29 km away
  4. 2.022 km NNE of Terrace Heights, Washington · 14876 days ago · 4 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 1.522 km ESE of Packwood, Washington · 14873 days ago · -1 km deep · 64 km away
  6. 1.723 km ESE of Packwood, Washington · 14873 days ago · -1 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 1.714 km N of Naches, Washington · 14871 days ago · 11 km deep · 28 km away
  8. 2.38 km W of Roosevelt, Washington · 14871 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
  9. 1.613 km SSW of Thorp, Washington · 14864 days ago · 6 km deep · 41 km away
  10. 1.71 km W of Yakima, Washington · 14863 days ago · 11 km deep · 3 km away
  11. 1.90 km NNE of Yakima, Washington · 14863 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
  12. 1.812 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 14855 days ago · 0 km deep · 46 km away
  13. 2.027 km NNW of Benton City, Washington · 14847 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  14. 1.627 km NNW of Benton City, Washington · 14847 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  15. 2.122 km NNE of Terrace Heights, Washington · 14845 days ago · 3 km deep · 27 km away
  16. 2.417 km WNW of Boardman, Oregon · 14830 days ago · 16 km deep · 95 km away

Before

  1. 2.43 km NNE of West Valley, Washington · 14881 days ago · 8 km deep · 2 km away
  2. 1.910 km WSW of Tieton, Washington · 14887 days ago · 5 km deep · 25 km away
  3. 2.310 km ESE of Royal City, Washington · 14899 days ago · 0 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 2.64 km NE of Royal City, Washington · 14902 days ago · 0 km deep · 83 km away
  5. 2.913 km ESE of Prosser, Washington · 14903 days ago · 1 km deep · 89 km away
  6. 1.823 km SSE of Kittitas, Washington · 14903 days ago · 2 km deep · 29 km away
  7. 1.623 km SSE of Kittitas, Washington · 14904 days ago · 1 km deep · 29 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10200428. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:09 AM UTC.