The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 0 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Ellensburg, the biggest of them M1.3. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Ellensburg came at 0.8× the usual pace — quieter than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Ellensburg — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.0 of May 28, 1981, 09:10 UTC: 23 km ESE of Packwood, Washington.
How we figure this: 1 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 1.3 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Latest earthquakes near Ellensburg
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0.8 | 1 km N of Entiat, Washington | Oct 29, 2026, 03:30 AM | 2 km | 81 km NNE |
| M0.2 | 26 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 27, 2026, 04:38 AM | -2 km | 90 km W |
| M1.3 | 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 25, 2026, 12:30 PM | -0 km | 94 km W |
| M1.0 | 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 25, 2026, 12:30 PM | 0 km | 94 km W |
| M0.3 | 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 24, 2026, 04:19 AM | 0 km | 94 km W |
| M0.9 | 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 24, 2026, 03:52 AM | 0 km | 94 km W |
| M0.5 | 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 23, 2026, 07:39 PM | 1 km | 93 km W |
| M0.4 | 6 km SSW of Entiat, Washington | Oct 20, 2026, 09:24 PM | 5 km | 73 km NNE |
| M0.3 | 17 km NW of Benton City, Washington | Oct 18, 2026, 06:34 PM | 17 km | 98 km SE |
| M0.5 | 24 km ENE of Ashford, Washington | Oct 13, 2026, 08:59 PM | -2 km | 92 km W |
Earthquakes per year near Ellensburg (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Ellensburg
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 28 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Ellensburg (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.0 | 23 km ESE of Packwood, Washington | May 28, 1981, 09:10 UTC | 83 km |
| M4.6 | 22 km ESE of Packwood, Washington | May 28, 1981, 08:56 UTC | 83 km |
| M4.5 | 27 km NNE of Packwood, Washington | Oct 08, 2006, 02:48 UTC | 82 km |
| M4.3 | 11 km SE of Skykomish, Washington | Jun 18, 1994, 07:01 UTC | 88 km |
| M4.3 | 3 km ENE of Cowiche, Washington | Dec 02, 1987, 09:02 UTC | 37 km |
| M4.3 | 13 km ENE of Sunnyslope, Washington | Apr 11, 1984, 03:07 UTC | 66 km |
| M4.3 | 25 km N of Leavenworth, Washington | Jun 27, 2013, 02:45 UTC | 93 km |
| M4.2 | 15 km ENE of Cle Elum, Washington | Feb 18, 2015, 09:04 UTC | 32 km |
Nearby places
Kittitas, WA (10 km) · Tieton, WA (36 km) · Cle Elum, WA (37 km) · Yakima, WA (44 km) · West Valley, WA (45 km) · Selah, WA (38 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 19:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 19:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.