All earthquakesOregon

Oregon earthquakes in 1981

13 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more were located in Oregon in 1981. The largest: M6.2 off the coast of Oregon, Nov 3, 1981.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19801982

Map

Where every quake of 1981 was located in Oregon. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1981

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 198114.6off the coast of Oregon
February 19810
March 19810
April 198124.5off the coast of Oregon
May 198114.9190 km W of Bandon, Oregon
June 198112.612 km SSE of Toledo, Oregon
July 198122.611 km W of Pine Hollow, Oregon
August 198113.2113 km WSW of Brookings, Oregon
September 19810
October 19810
November 198126.2off the coast of Oregon
December 198134.6249 km WNW of Bandon, Oregon

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

Oregon nowWorldwide in 1981

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.