Washington earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 6 km NW of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 6 km NW of Orcas, Washington on Sun, Sep 15, 1991, 9:03 AM PDT (16:03 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 6 km NW of Orcas, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Friday Harbor forecastMore in Washington

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
2.3 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1991-09-15 16:03:53 UTC
Depth
18.2 km (11.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.642° N, 123.006° 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 0.4 km horizontally, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.11
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
43°
Stations used
26

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 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.06 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 12803 days ago · 19 km deep · 0 km away
  2. 2.04 km NE of Bryant, Washington · 12797 days ago · 11 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 2.413 km SSW of Blyn, Washington · 12781 days ago · 42 km deep · 81 km away
  4. 1.63 km E of Deming, Washington · 12777 days ago · 1 km deep · 64 km away
  5. 1.85 km NNE of Kingston, Washington · 12775 days ago · 22 km deep · 98 km away
  6. 1.59 km NNW of Ault Field, Washington · 12771 days ago · 50 km deep · 33 km away
  7. 2.010 km E of Mission, Canada · 12757 days ago · 4 km deep · 83 km away
  8. 1.92 km NE of Deming, Washington · 12754 days ago · -1 km deep · 63 km away
  9. 1.82 km N of Big Lake, Washington · 12753 days ago · -1 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 2.06 km ESE of Alger, Washington · 12810 days ago · 8 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 1.84 km NW of Marrowstone, Washington · 12810 days ago · 53 km deep · 66 km away
  3. 1.73 km S of Maple Falls, Washington · 12811 days ago · 16 km deep · 73 km away
  4. 2.25 km ESE of Alger, Washington · 12823 days ago · 2 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 1.98 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 12824 days ago · 20 km deep · 61 km away
  6. 2.04 km N of Friday Harbor, Washington · 12828 days ago · 54 km deep · 7 km away
  7. 1.52 km SSE of Orcas, Washington · 12829 days ago · 56 km deep · 9 km away
  8. 2.517 km S of Glacier, Washington · 12832 days ago · -1 km deep · 79 km away
  9. 1.55 km NE of Marrowstone, Washington · 12832 days ago · 26 km deep · 68 km away

Earthquakes todayWashington earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10279078. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:55 PM UTC.