Reviewed by USGS20d ago
M5.3 earthquake off the coast of Oregon
Monday, September 7, 2026, 01:30:24 UTC · 43.902°N, 128.204°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon on Monday, September 7, 2026, 01:30:24 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 9 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on June 29, 2026.
Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 9
- Max intensity III
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- Flag
- Check tsunami.gov
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
21 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97206<br>0.330 | III · Weak | 1 | 477 km |
| 98632<br>0.330 | II · Weak | 1 | 479 km |
| 97302<br>0.330 | II · Weak | 1 | 424 km |
| 97365<br>0.330 | I · Not felt | 1 | 345 km |
| 97224<br>0.330 | I · Not felt | 1 | 460 km |
| Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | I · Not felt | 1 | 626 km |
| 97539<br>0.330 | I · Not felt | 1 | 464 km |
| 95531<br>0.330 | I · Not felt | 1 | 417 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 281 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.9103 km W of Pistol River, OregonJuly 13, 1991 · 283 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5259 km W of Bandon, OregonMarch 13, 1985 · 68 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5235 km W of Port Orford, OregonAugust 5, 1910 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4213 km W of Port Orford, OregonAugust 20, 1952 · 145 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4off the coast of OregonSeptember 11, 1928 · 196 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3off the coast of OregonMay 8, 1968 · 40 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3248 km W of Bandon, OregonOctober 27, 1994 · 76 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3242 km WNW of Bandon, OregonJanuary 10, 2008 · 76 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1700M9.0
Cascadia Subduction Zone
27 Jan 1700 · 282 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.