From Washington to you
1965 Puget Sound Earthquake
1965 Puget Sound earthquake epicenter · King County · April 29, 1965
A magnitude 6.5 shock between Seattle and Tacoma on April 29, 1965, killed seven people.
On April 29, 1965, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck between Seattle and Tacoma. USGS Open-File Report 94-226-B calls it the third-largest Washington earthquake since 1872 after 1872 and the 1949 Olympia shock. It caused seven fatalities and about $50 million in damage in 1984 dollars.
USGS Open-File Report 99-311 places the 1965 event near Tacoma at a depth of 60 km, inside the subducting Juan de Fuca plate. A USGS compilation of significant earthquakes lists the origin time as 15:28 UTC and the epicenter as 47.32° N, 122.33° W.
The 2001 Nisqually earthquake later compared its mechanism to this 1965 shock and to the 1949 Olympia event. The sources below are U.S. Geological Survey reports.
- Geography & Geology
- History
- Science / Strange Washington
Sources (3)
government · Tier S
U.S. Geological SurveyEarthquakes in Washington and Oregon 1872–1993
government · Tier S
U.S. Geological SurveyPreferred Magnitudes of Selected Significant Earthquakes
government · Tier S
U.S. Geological SurveyEarthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
Last reviewed: September 21, 2026
Keep wandering
same arc
1949 Olympia EarthquakeA magnitude 7.1 shock under south Puget Sound on April 13, 1949, killed eight people and wrecked nearly every tall building in Olympia.
same arc
2001 Nisqually EarthquakeA deep magnitude 6.8 shock under Puget Sound injured about 400 people and forced a disaster declaration covering 24 counties.
same arc
Cascadia Subduction ZoneA quiet plate boundary runs from California to British Columbia — and under Washington.
same arc
Copalis Ghost ForestWestern red cedars at the Copalis River died between the 1699 and 1700 growing seasons — killed when Cascadia dropped the coast.
nearby
Seattle FaultA roughly 70-kilometer thrust under Seattle can host a magnitude 7 to 7.5 earthquake. USGS says the last large one was close to the year 900.