M3.1 earthquake 9 km NW of Mattawa, Washington
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 9 km NW of Mattawa, Washington on Sat, Dec 15, 1990, 5:20 AM PST (13:20 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.4 9 km NW of Mattawa, Washington. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.1 (Md, duration), minor
- Magnitude from
- Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
- Local time
- UTC
- 1990-12-15 13:20:47 UTC
- Depth
- 3.0 km (1.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 46.802° N, 119.993° W
- Region
- Washington
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Md, duration | Pacific Northwest Seismic Network | Preferred · Final · ±0.07 · 15 stations |
| 3.1 | Md, duration | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Reviewed |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CL 3.1 (SEA).
From the USGS event page for uw10269393. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 0.4 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 34°
- Stations used
- 44
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.97 km WSW of George, Washington · 13075 days ago · 0 km deep · 28 km away
- 2.29 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 13074 days ago · 3 km deep · 0 km away
- 1.99 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 13074 days ago · 3 km deep · 0 km away
- 2.54 km NW of Bickleton, Washington · 13073 days ago · -1 km deep · 90 km away
- 2.29 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 13070 days ago · 2 km deep · 1 km away
- 1.59 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 13070 days ago · 2 km deep · 1 km away
- 3.49 km NW of Mattawa, Washington · 13069 days ago · 3 km deep · 0 km away
- 2.44 km W of Entiat, Washington · 13049 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
- 1.97 km NNE of Bickleton, Washington · 13048 days ago · 11 km deep · 85 km away
- 2.413 km W of Entiat, Washington · 13042 days ago · -1 km deep · 100 km away
- 1.916 km NE of Naches, Washington · 13027 days ago · 6 km deep · 42 km away
- 3.414 km NE of Naches, Washington · 13027 days ago · 6 km deep · 43 km away
- 2.71 km SSW of Warden, Washington · 13026 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
Before
- 1.611 km NE of Nile, Washington · 13080 days ago · 13 km deep · 64 km away
- 2.110 km NE of Nile, Washington · 13080 days ago · 1 km deep · 65 km away
- 2.01 km SE of Cowiche, Washington · 13080 days ago · 15 km deep · 56 km away
- 1.515 km SSW of Cascade Valley, Washington · 13087 days ago · 0 km deep · 50 km away
- 1.814 km SW of Ellensburg, Washington · 13096 days ago · 6 km deep · 52 km away
- 1.827 km ESE of Desert Aire, Washington · 13100 days ago · 26 km deep · 39 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10269393 (also filed as usp0004j64). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 10:11 PM UTC.