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, 4 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Sandy, the biggest of them M3.0. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Sandy came at 3.0× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Sandy — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.7 of May 18, 1980, 15:32 UTC: 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington.
How we figure this: 3 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 1.0 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 Sandy, 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 Sandy are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Sandy
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0.3 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Nov 02, 2026, 07:39 AM | 3 km | 90 km N |
| M0.4 | 34 km NE of Amboy, Washington | Nov 02, 2026, 01:40 AM | 11 km | 79 km N |
| M1.1 | 20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington | Oct 31, 2026, 10:24 PM | 18 km | 99 km NNW |
| M0.6 | 38 km NE of Amboy, Washington | Oct 31, 2026, 10:28 AM | 5 km | 89 km N |
| M0.8 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Oct 31, 2026, 07:58 AM | 3 km | 90 km N |
| M0.3 | 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington | Oct 31, 2026, 06:36 AM | 10 km | 95 km N |
| M0.1 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Oct 31, 2026, 02:43 AM | 2 km | 90 km N |
| M0.1 | 34 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Oct 30, 2026, 12:42 AM | 0 km | 86 km N |
| M1.2 | 3 km S of Carson, Washington | Oct 29, 2026, 12:41 AM | 11 km | 48 km NE |
| M0.8 | 6 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon | Oct 28, 2026, 01:14 PM | 7 km | 46 km E |
Earthquakes per year near Sandy (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 Sandy
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 52 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Sandy (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.7 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | May 18, 1980, 15:32 UTC | 90 km |
| M5.6 | 4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon | Mar 25, 1993, 13:34 UTC | 48 km |
| M5.2 | 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Apr 14, 1980, 13:49 UTC | 90 km |
| M5.1 | 39 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Apr 20, 1980, 19:19 UTC | 91 km |
| M5.1 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Apr 08, 1980, 19:29 UTC | 90 km |
| M5.1 | 38 km S of Morton, Washington | Apr 07, 1980, 15:05 UTC | 91 km |
| M5.1 | 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington | Apr 06, 1980, 06:58 UTC | 91 km |
| M5.1 | Washington | Apr 03, 1980, 09:35 UTC | 92 km |
Nearby places
Estacada, OR (13 km) · Damascus, OR (16 km) · Gresham, OR (17 km) · Portland, OR (35 km) · Vancouver, WA (41 km) · Beaverton, OR (43 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.