M2.9 Earthquake 7 km W of Packwood, Washington — December 14, 2022
2022-12-14 20:56:46 UTC (2022-12-14) · approx. 12:56 PM UTC-8 local
Felt by 21 people across nearby locations.
On December 14, 2022 at 20:56 UTC, a magnitude 2.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 7 km W of Packwood, Washington, at a depth of 11.9 km and coordinates 46.6082°, -121.7678°. The earthquake was reported felt by 21 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.2 (light). This earthquake was detected by 62 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 139, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 349 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 61 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Washington, a region characterized by the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where the Juan de Fuca Plate subducts beneath North America and is capable of producing M9+ megathrust earthquakes. The nearest mapped fault system is the Cascadia Subduction Zone. View all earthquakes in Washington.
Learn more: Cascadia Subduction Zone · Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 21 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-121.7678°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.9 earthquake near Packwood, Washington?
The magnitude 2.9 earthquake that struck 7 km W of Packwood, Washington on December 14, 2022 at 20:56 UTC had a depth of 11.9 km. It was felt by 21 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.2 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 46.6082°, -121.7678°, which is 7 km W of Packwood, Washington. View all earthquakes in Washington.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Washington had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Washington was the M7.4 offshore earthquake of April 13, 1949. Today's magnitude 2.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: uw61898541). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, December 14, 2022). M2.9 Earthquake 7 km W of Packwood, Washington — December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/uw61898541/