Washington earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 5 km NNW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 5 km NNW of Orcas, Washington on Sat, Aug 22, 1987, 1:18 AM PDT (08:18 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.0 2 km WSW of Birch Bay, 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
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1987-08-22 08:18:42 UTC
Depth
18.2 km (11.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.644° N, 122.970° 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 1.9 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
205°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.02 km WSW of Birch Bay, Washington · 14271 days ago · 15 km deep · 33 km away
  2. 1.96 km SSE of Concrete, Washington · 14269 days ago · 2 km deep · 94 km away
  3. 1.515 km E of North Saanich, Canada · 14259 days ago · 50 km deep · 18 km away
  4. 1.816 km SE of Glacier, Washington · 14254 days ago · 25 km deep · 87 km away
  5. 3.04 km WSW of Langley, Canada · 14251 days ago · 1 km deep · 52 km away
  6. 2.34 km WSW of Langley, Canada · 14249 days ago · 4 km deep · 53 km away
  7. 2.82 km N of Port Townsend, Washington · 14248 days ago · 21 km deep · 58 km away
  8. 2.85 km NE of Blyn, Washington · 14248 days ago · 55 km deep · 65 km away
  9. 2.15 km NE of Kingston, Washington · 14243 days ago · 16 km deep · 98 km away
  10. 1.87 km SSW of Quilcene, Washington · 14237 days ago · 47 km deep · 98 km away
  11. 1.918 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada · 14221 days ago · 23 km deep · 37 km away

Before

  1. 1.72 km SSW of Birch Bay, Washington · 14278 days ago · 13 km deep · 32 km away
  2. 1.715 km ESE of Oak Bay, Canada · 14279 days ago · 5 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 1.76 km SSW of Geneva, Washington · 14290 days ago · 12 km deep · 39 km away
  4. 1.55 km SSW of Geneva, Washington · 14292 days ago · 12 km deep · 40 km away
  5. 2.06 km SW of Geneva, Washington · 14292 days ago · 12 km deep · 38 km away
  6. 2.71 km N of Port Townsend, Washington · 14292 days ago · 22 km deep · 59 km away
  7. 1.74 km E of Maple Falls, Washington · 14303 days ago · 0 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10224533. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:38 AM UTC.