Washington earthquakes

M2.0 earthquake 5 km WNW of Alger, Washington

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 5 km WNW of Alger, Washington on Tue, Dec 20, 1988, 2:06 PM PST (22:06 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 2 km NNE of Big Lake, 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
2.0 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1988-12-20 22:06:29 UTC
Depth
6.9 km (4.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.648° N, 122.410° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 1.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
40°
Stations used
23

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.40 km NE of Esperance, Washington · 13792 days ago · 22 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 1.51 km E of Esperance, Washington · 13791 days ago · 17 km deep · 95 km away
  3. 1.62 km W of Oak Harbor, Washington · 13777 days ago · 23 km deep · 44 km away
  4. 2.27 km SSE of Acme, Washington · 13764 days ago · 13 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 2.13 km SSW of Clinton, Washington · 13759 days ago · 26 km deep · 77 km away
  6. 3.2Washington · 13753 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  7. 1.52 km NNE of Big Lake, Washington · 13753 days ago · -1 km deep · 28 km away
  8. 1.81 km NE of Big Lake, Washington · 13753 days ago · -1 km deep · 30 km away
  9. 4.02 km NNE of Big Lake, Washington · 13744 days ago · -1 km deep · 28 km away
  10. 2.42 km NE of Big Lake, Washington · 13744 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  11. 1.72 km NNE of Big Lake, Washington · 13744 days ago · -1 km deep · 28 km away
  12. 1.62 km NE of Big Lake, Washington · 13743 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  13. 2.32 km NE of Big Lake, Washington · 13742 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  14. 2.82 km NNE of Big Lake, Washington · 13742 days ago · -1 km deep · 29 km away
  15. 1.62 km ENE of Big Lake, Washington · 13741 days ago · -1 km deep · 30 km away

Before

  1. 1.94 km SW of Victoria, Canada · 13808 days ago · 12 km deep · 77 km away
  2. 1.51 km SSW of Lake Roesiger, Washington · 13821 days ago · 11 km deep · 83 km away
  3. 2.21 km E of Ferndale, Washington · 13823 days ago · 15 km deep · 25 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10238798. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:22 AM UTC.