M1.5 Earthquake near Lostine, Oregon — 26 December 2025
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near Lostine, Oregon on , with an epicentre 14 km west-southwest of Lostine, at a focal depth of 11.0 km.
Time (UTC): 2025-12-26 11:37:59
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)
Focal depth: 11.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 45.4228, -117.5980
Location: 14 km WSW of Lostine, 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 2.4 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 33, 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 45.4228, -117.5980 — 14 km west-southwest of Lostine. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.7 earthquake 6 km east of here on 23 December 2025.
Why the 11 km depth matters
At 11 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
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.9.
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 3.0 event near Cascade on 15 December 2024. This M1.5 event released about 178 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
- M0.7 earthquake near Lostine, Oregon — (6 km E)
- M2.0 earthquake near Halfway, Oregon — (52 km SSE)
- M1.2 earthquake near Adams, Oregon — (80 km WNW)
- M1.5 earthquake near Halfway, Oregon — (82 km SE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Milton-Freewater, Oregon — (88 km NW)
- M1.6 earthquake near Halfway, Oregon — (88 km SE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Richland, Oregon — (92 km S)
- M1.8 earthquake near Huntington, Oregon — (97 km S)
- M1.6 earthquake near Huntington, Oregon — (99 km S)
- M1.8 earthquake near Huntington, Oregon — (99 km S)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.3 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M1.2 earthquake near Lamont, CA —
- M1.4 earthquake near Ugashik, Alaska —
- M1.4 earthquake near Midland, Texas —
- M1.5 earthquake near Jal, New Mexico —
- M1.3 earthquake near Yorba Linda, CA —
- M1.4 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
- M1.7 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
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 2.4 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Lostine?
At 11 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 Lostine 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?
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.9.
How often do earthquakes happen near Lostine?
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 3.0 event near Cascade on 15 December 2024. This M1.5 event released about 178 times less energy than that event.