Washington earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 4 km SE of Birch Bay, Washington

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 4 km SE of Birch Bay, Washington on Sat, Nov 30, 2002, 7:50 PM PST (03:50 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.7 10 km SW of Friday Harbor, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Birch Bay forecastMore in Washington

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
2002-12-01 03:50:53 UTC
Depth
18.1 km (11.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.889° N, 122.709° 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 1.3 km horizontally, 1.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
181°, poorly surrounded by stations
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: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.519 km S of Point Roberts, Washington · 8706 days ago · 7 km deep · 26 km away
  2. 1.812 km NE of Abbotsford, Canada · 8704 days ago · 0 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 2.22 km ESE of Port Angeles East, Washington · 8700 days ago · 9 km deep · 99 km away
  4. 2.12 km SSW of Ladner, Canada · 8695 days ago · 16 km deep · 34 km away
  5. 1.59 km SW of Friday Harbor, Washington · 8695 days ago · 21 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 2.02 km NE of Deming, Washington · 8683 days ago · 1 km deep · 38 km away
  7. 2.710 km SW of Friday Harbor, Washington · 8662 days ago · 21 km deep · 55 km away
  8. 1.78 km SSE of Point Roberts, Washington · 8662 days ago · 13 km deep · 23 km away
  9. 2.45 km NW of Orcas, Washington · 8659 days ago · 13 km deep · 37 km away
  10. 2.49 km NNW of Friday Harbor, Washington · 8659 days ago · 8 km deep · 42 km away
  11. 1.50.6 km ENE of Lyman, WA · 8655 days ago · -1 km deep · 63 km away
  12. 1.52 km SSE of Lake McMurray, Washington · 8647 days ago · 12 km deep · 75 km away

Before

  1. 2.07 km SSE of Point Roberts, Washington · 8707 days ago · 15 km deep · 24 km away
  2. 3.86 km SSE of Point Roberts, Washington · 8707 days ago · 13 km deep · 25 km away · felt by 22
  3. 1.86 km ESE of Metchosin, Canada · 8707 days ago · 22 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 1.915 km N of Mission, Canada · 8712 days ago · 7 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 3.12 km WSW of Camano, Washington · 8733 days ago · 27 km deep · 82 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10569383. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:13 PM UTC.