The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 2 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, 2 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Lafayette, the biggest of them M3.0. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Lafayette came at 1.5× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Lafayette — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.6 of Mar 25, 1993, 13:34 UTC: 4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon.
How we figure this: 2 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.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Lafayette, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Lafayette are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Lafayette
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0.9 | 3 km NE of Woodland, Washington | Oct 23, 2026, 12:21 PM | 8 km | 82 km NNE |
| M1.6 | 3 km W of Columbia City, Oregon | Oct 23, 2026, 07:09 AM | 23 km | 75 km NNE |
| M1.0 | 7 km NW of Yamhill, Oregon | Oct 23, 2026, 01:44 AM | 11 km | 20 km NNW |
| M3.0 | 3 km W of Columbia City, Oregon | Oct 22, 2026, 07:25 AM | 24 km | 74 km NNE |
| M1.4 | 6 km SE of Molalla, Oregon | Oct 21, 2026, 05:06 AM | 7 km | 49 km ESE |
| M0.9 | 6 km WNW of King City, Oregon | Oct 21, 2026, 01:06 AM | 21 km | 26 km NE |
| M1.3 | 3 km ESE of Rose Lodge, Oregon | Oct 14, 2026, 03:37 AM | 43 km | 63 km WSW |
| M0.7 | 3 km E of Battle Ground, Washington | Oct 12, 2026, 02:23 AM | 14 km | 77 km NE |
| M1.2 | 3 km W of Venersborg, Washington | Oct 12, 2026, 02:01 AM | 13 km | 77 km NE |
| M1.1 | 3 km NNE of Hockinson, Washington | Oct 11, 2026, 08:01 PM | 13 km | 77 km NE |
Earthquakes per year near Lafayette (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 Lafayette
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 33 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 2 biggest earthquakes on record near Lafayette (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.6 | 4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon | Mar 25, 1993, 13:34 UTC | 46 km |
| M4.4 | 16 km ESE of Lacomb, Oregon | Oct 07, 2022, 12:52 UTC | 90 km |
Nearby places
Dayton, OR (4 km) · Carlton, OR (7 km) · McMinnville, OR (8 km) · Portland, OR (46 km) · Salem, OR (34 km) · Hillsboro, OR (32 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 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.