M1.5 Earthquake near La Pine, Oregon — 17 December 2025
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near La Pine, Oregon on , with an epicentre 21 km east of La Pine, at a focal depth of -1.8 km.
Time (UTC): 2025-12-17 20:22:44
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)
Focal depth: -1.8 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 43.6667, -121.2410
Location: 21 km E of La Pine, Oregon
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.
A magnitude 1.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.9 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 36, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 43.6667, -121.2410 — 21 km east of La Pine. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.4 earthquake 4 km north of here on 03 June 2026.
Why the -2 km depth matters
At -2 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.5 event near Gerlach on 30 December 2024. This M1.5 event released about 933 times less energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the December 2025 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M0.4 earthquake near La Pine, Oregon — (4 km N)
- M0.2 earthquake near Three Rivers, Oregon — (6 km NNW)
- M0.3 earthquake near Three Rivers, Oregon — (7 km NNE)
- M0.5 earthquake near Three Rivers, Oregon — (8 km NNE)
- M1.7 earthquake near La Pine, Oregon — (11 km W)
- M1.1 earthquake near Three Rivers, Oregon — (13 km NNE)
- M1.2 earthquake near La Pine, Oregon — (14 km W)
- M1.2 earthquake near Sunriver, Oregon — (51 km NW)
- M1.6 earthquake near Sunriver, Oregon — (52 km NW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Tumalo, Oregon — (52 km N)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.5 earthquake near Larsen Bay, Alaska —
- M1.3 earthquake near Pine Mountain Club, CA —
- M1.5 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M1.3 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M1.8 earthquake near Fishhook, Alaska —
- M1.3 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pearsall, Texas —
- M1.4 earthquake near Ugashik, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 1.5 earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 1.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.9 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near La Pine?
At -2 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M1.5 earthquake near La Pine felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near La Pine?
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.5 event near Gerlach on 30 December 2024. This M1.5 event released about 933 times less energy than that event.