Washington earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 2 km SSE of Orcas, Washington

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 2 km SSE of Orcas, Washington on Mon, Aug 19, 1991, 9:39 PM PDT (04:39 UTC), 56 km (35 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
1.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1991-08-20 04:39:04 UTC
Depth
55.9 km (34.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.578° N, 122.930° 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 0.6 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.08
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
47°
Stations used
20

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.04 km N of Friday Harbor, Washington · 12826 days ago · 54 km deep · 7 km away
  2. 2.21 km NNW of Lake Roesiger, Washington · 12826 days ago · 11 km deep · 98 km away
  3. 1.91 km NW of Lake Roesiger, Washington · 12823 days ago · 11 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 1.81 km N of Lake Roesiger, Washington · 12822 days ago · 11 km deep · 98 km away
  5. 1.98 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 12822 days ago · 20 km deep · 52 km away
  6. 2.25 km ESE of Alger, Washington · 12821 days ago · 2 km deep · 48 km away
  7. 1.724 km NNE of Concrete, Washington · 12818 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  8. 2.01 km NW of Lake Roesiger, Washington · 12817 days ago · 11 km deep · 98 km away
  9. 1.73 km S of Maple Falls, Washington · 12809 days ago · 16 km deep · 71 km away
  10. 1.84 km NW of Marrowstone, Washington · 12808 days ago · 53 km deep · 57 km away
  11. 2.06 km ESE of Alger, Washington · 12808 days ago · 8 km deep · 50 km away
  12. 2.36 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 12801 days ago · 18 km deep · 9 km away
  13. 3.06 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 12801 days ago · 19 km deep · 9 km away
  14. 2.04 km NE of Bryant, Washington · 12795 days ago · 11 km deep · 69 km away
  15. 2.413 km SSW of Blyn, Washington · 12779 days ago · 42 km deep · 74 km away
  16. 1.63 km E of Deming, Washington · 12775 days ago · 1 km deep · 62 km away
  17. 1.85 km NNE of Kingston, Washington · 12774 days ago · 22 km deep · 89 km away
  18. 1.59 km NNW of Ault Field, Washington · 12769 days ago · 50 km deep · 24 km away

Before

  1. 2.517 km S of Glacier, Washington · 12830 days ago · -1 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 1.55 km NE of Marrowstone, Washington · 12830 days ago · 26 km deep · 59 km away
  3. 1.56 km ESE of Alger, Washington · 12834 days ago · -1 km deep · 49 km away
  4. 2.07 km W of Aldergrove, Canada · 12835 days ago · 71 km deep · 58 km away
  5. 1.71 km E of Edmonds, Washington · 12848 days ago · 21 km deep · 96 km away
  6. 2.14 km NNW of Hamilton, Washington · 12852 days ago · -1 km deep · 67 km away
  7. 2.03 km WSW of Langley, Canada · 12857 days ago · 12 km deep · 60 km away

Earthquakes todayWashington earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10279523. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:52 PM UTC.