Washington earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 12 km WSW of Malott, Washington

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 12 km WSW of Malott, Washington on Tue, May 9, 1989, 11:28 AM PDT (18:28 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

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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: 4.5 (Md, duration), light
Magnitude from: Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time: Tue, May 9, 1989, 11:28 AM PDT
UTC: 1989-05-09 18:28:45 UTC
Depth: 14.6 km (9.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 48.230° N, 119.854° W
Region: Washington
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
4.5	Md, duration	Pacific Northwest Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.03 · 8 stations
4.4	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed
4.4	ML, local (Richter)	USGS historic United States catalog	Final

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Slight damage (VI) at Okanogan. Felt (V) at Chelan, Coulee Dam, Malott, Manson, Methow and Winthrop; (IV) at Ardenvoir, Brewster, Bridgeport, Carlton, Conconully, Dryden, Electric City, Elmer City, Entiat, Grand Coulee, Hartline, Omak, Orondo, Pateros, Stehekin, Twisp, Waterville and Wenatchee.

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI

From the USGS event page for uw10240943. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 4.8% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.9 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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 3.5 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.03
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 175°
Stations used: 24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Washington earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10240943 (also filed as ushis4128, usp0003v36). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:23 PM UTC.