Washington earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 4 km ENE of Deming, Washington

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 4 km ENE of Deming, Washington on Fri, Apr 13, 1990, 10:33 PM PDT (05:33 UTC), 12 km (7 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: 5.0 (Md, duration), moderate
Magnitude from: Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time: Fri, Apr 13, 1990, 10:33 PM PDT
UTC: 1990-04-14 05:33:26 UTC
Depth: 11.9 km (7.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 48.845° N, 122.161° W
Region: Washington
Strongest shaking: VI, strong 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
5.0	Md, duration	Pacific Northwest Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.07 · 5 stations
4.4	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 12 stations

What happened

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

Slight damage (VI) in the Deming-Van Zandt area. Felt (V) at Acme, Nooksack and Sumas; (IV) at Bellingham, Bow, Burlington, Clearlake, Concrete, Custer, Eastsound, Glacier, Hamilton, Lakewood, Maple Falls, Mount Vernon and Sedro Woolley.

From the USGS event page for uw10257663. 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: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 16.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.2 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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 97°
Stations used: 23

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 40 in the 60 days after this one and 13 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 uw10257663 (also filed as usp00047ws). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 2:41 AM UTC.