On Tuesday Afternoon a Shallow M4.2 Earthquake struck near Seattle in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 29th, 2026.

Under land 23 miles from Seattle in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday September 29th, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 4.6 million people have been exposed to shaking. Canada is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Seattle in Washington. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 17 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 29, 2026 02:05PM (Los Angeles Time) - Sep 29, 2026 21:05 Universal Time.
Location:	23 mi SW of Seattle, Washington, The United States. Coordinates 47°24'1"N 122°43'19"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.2 Detected by 153 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	17 mi (28 km) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 mi from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 4.6 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 4.6 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 2,287,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 2.3 million) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

Nearby towns and cities

The United States and Canada are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Bremerton in Washington, The United States. Bremerton is located 12 miles (20 km) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bremerton is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Seattle is located 23 mi to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Tacoma is located 17 mi to the south-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Kent is located 23 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is III.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 3rd, 2025, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 84 mi (135 km) further north. An even stronger magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck on February 21st, 2025.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 29/09/26 22:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake uw714111952
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260929_0000289
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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