April 29, 1965 Earthquake: Seattle, Washington, United States
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Seattle, Washington, United States on April 29, 1965 at 15:28:43 UTC, 59 km below the surface. It killed 7 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 29, 1965
- Time
- 15:28:43 UTC
- Place
- Seattle, Washington, United States
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 59 km (37 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 47.400° N, 122.300° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Deaths
- 7
- Damage
- $28 million
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #1250 lists $28 million damage.
Reference #542 lists $12.5 million damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1965The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1965Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4351.