Washington earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 4 km SW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 4 km SW of Orcas, Washington on Fri, Jul 21, 1989, 1:31 AM PDT (08:31 UTC), 56 km (35 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.7 4 km SE of Port Ludlow, 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, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1989-07-21 08:31:30 UTC
Depth
55.8 km (34.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.575° N, 122.987° 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 1.5 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
177°
Stations used
15

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 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.318 km NE of Nanaimo, Canada · 13583 days ago · -1 km deep · 100 km away
  2. 2.05 km WNW of La Conner, Washington · 13579 days ago · 7 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 2.24 km WNW of La Conner, Washington · 13579 days ago · 7 km deep · 37 km away
  4. 1.53 km NNW of La Conner, Washington · 13567 days ago · 23 km deep · 39 km away
  5. 1.62 km NNE of Big Lake, Washington · 13562 days ago · -1 km deep · 58 km away
  6. 2.019 km SSE of Glacier, Washington · 13548 days ago · 18 km deep · 89 km away
  7. 1.518 km SSE of Glacier, Washington · 13547 days ago · 23 km deep · 89 km away
  8. 2.06 km SW of Bay View, Washington · 13546 days ago · 24 km deep · 36 km away
  9. 2.33 km NW of Acme, Washington · 13543 days ago · -1 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 2.74 km SE of Port Ludlow, Washington · 13541 days ago · 17 km deep · 80 km away
  11. 1.78 km NNW of Orcas, Washington · 13537 days ago · 18 km deep · 10 km away

Before

  1. 2.012 km W of Chilliwack, Canada · 13589 days ago · -1 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 1.71 km E of Picnic Point, Washington · 13590 days ago · -1 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 1.619 km NNE of Maple Ridge, Canada · 13590 days ago · -2 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 1.713 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 13595 days ago · 11 km deep · 12 km away
  5. 1.926 km S of Lake Cowichan, Canada · 13601 days ago · 4 km deep · 79 km away
  6. 2.05 km WSW of Lyman, Washington · 13605 days ago · 1 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 1.711 km NNW of Friday Harbor, Washington · 13607 days ago · 17 km deep · 10 km away
  8. 1.73 km SW of Swede Heaven, Washington · 13608 days ago · 2 km deep · 97 km away
  9. 1.83 km SW of Swede Heaven, Washington · 13609 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 2.23 km WSW of Swede Heaven, Washington · 13611 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  11. 1.96 km SW of Clinton, Washington · 13611 days ago · 26 km deep · 83 km away
  12. 2.03 km SW of Swede Heaven, Washington · 13612 days ago · 2 km deep · 97 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10247658. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:05 PM UTC.