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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia
Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog       One-line catalog format

1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

  
Individual Event Report
Event #9 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
The assignment of intensity V by U.S. Earthquake history (repeated in some other catalogs) is in error. The sole source for this event is the diary of deMofras, which reports "three oscillations of a second at most" The error occurred because the account by Gibbs in the Journal of the American Geographical Society refers to a letter from Mr. Yale, apparently written in 1856, regarding his recollections of past earthquakes in northwest Washington (?). The larger event described might correspond to the event of Nov. 1853 cited by Milne as felt in Victoria.
TIME LOCATION MAGNITUDE MAX. INTENSITY FELT AREA
YR MO DAY HR MIN AM/PM Time
Type		 LAT(N) LON(W) DEP
(km)		 MAG Mag
Type		 Felt
Plc.		 Felt
St.		 Inten-
sity		 Int.
Type		 Felt
Area		 Felt
Area
Int.		 Felt
Area
Units
1841  12  2  4  0  P  L  45.60  122.70        Vancouver  WA  V  MM       
DIARY - 1612 USEQS - 909 - - RAS - 1 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1612  De Mofras Exploration of Oregon  1925  Oregon Historical Society Quarterly Vol.26, No.2 
Transcription: The only event which interested us during our sojourn at Vancouver was an earthquake shock, which occurred Dec 2, 1841, at 4 o' clock in the afternoon. We felt three oscillations, of a second at most, and in the direction of north and south.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
909  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: 1841 Dec 2 16:00 Vancouver, Wash. 45.6 122.7 V 3-53, 32
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1212  Mofras, Eugene Duflot de. TRAVELS ON THE PACIFIC COAST; translated, edited and annotated by M. E. Wilbur, Santa Ana, Calif.: The Fine Arts Press, 1937, vols. I & II, p. 103 (Vol. 2)  1937  Vols. I & II, page 103 (Vol. 2) 
Transcription: Mofras, Eugene Duflot de. TRAVELS ON THE PACIFIC COAST; translated, edited and annotated by M. E. Wilbur, Santa Ana, Calif.: The Fine Arts Press, 1937, vols. I & II, p. 103 (Vol. 2). "The only event which interested us during our sojourn at Van Couver was an earthquake shock, which occurred December 2, 1841, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We felt three oscillations, of a second at most, and in the direction of north and south".
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1213  Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York  1874  Gibbs, George. "Physical Geography of the Northwestern Boundary of the United States - Earthquakes", Vol. IV, 1874, pp. 298-392. 
Transcription: Gibbs, George. "Physical Geography of the Northwestern Boundary of the United States - Earthquakes", JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, VOL. IV, 1874, pp. 298-392.

"These have evidently been of frequent occurrence, as they do not excite much astonishment among the Indians. Duflot de Mofras mentions one which was felt at Fort Vancouver, December 2, 1841, at 4 P. M. They experienced these oscillations, of a second or more, and in a direction north and south. Mr. Yale, in a letter to me, says: `We had two that might have attracted the attention of the geologist. Both occurred after the eruption of Mount Baker. The first was tremulous, and caused some dilapidation of tottering things; but its greates pecularity was perhaps the loud report that preceded or attended it, and the roaring noise, which continued for some time ... The other was undulatory, and did some injury to the foundation of our house. It seemed to have come from the westward, and to have left in its trail a cold, disagreeable, smoky vapor. Both occurred in winter. That of December 26th was felt here, but I believe slightly, ...'

The last one was of December 26, 1856, which was very perceptible at Port Townshend, where I then was, jarring the house like the fall of some heavy body. It was felt by Mr. Warbass at Whidbey's Island, and the Indians told him `that the earth was rising.'

A very distinct shock was noticed at Olympia on the 2nd of April, 1859, at 2:30 A. M. Mr. James Tilton, Surveyor General of the Territory, describes its force as about equal to the the effect of a sixty-mile-an-hour gale upon a frame house. The crockery rattled, and many persons were awakened. There was but one shock, which lasted eight or ten seconds. The night was calm, and thr tremor well defined, undulatory, and suggestive of the motion of a ship at sea. A lady living in Olympia informed me that a pivot glass in her bedroom was made to swing so much as to attract her notice. the direction was S.W.".
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1288  Berg and Baker, 1963, Oregon Earthquakes, 1841 through 1958, BSSA, V. 53, No. 1, pp. 95-108  1963   
Transcription: 1841 - - Dec 2 4 pm (Local) Western Ore.-Wash. border Ft. Vancouver III 4
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1384  Milne, W.G., 1956, Seismic Activity in Canada, west of the 113th meridian 1841-1951: Canada Dominion Obs. Pub., V. 18, No. 7, pp. 119-146  1957   
Transcription: 1841 DECEMBER 2. 4 p.m. Duffot de Mofras, apparently an early explorer, describes a report of earthquakes felt at Fort Vancouver by a Mr. Yale: "We had two that might have attracted the attention of the geologist. Both occurred after the eruption of Mount Baker. The first was tremulous, and caused some dilapidation of tottering things; but its greatest peculiarity was perhaps the loud report that preceded or attended it, and the roaring noise, which continued for some time. The adjacent mountains, being composed of tremendous masses of solid rock, we almost expected to behold them and ourselves sinking into an abyss. The other was undulatory, and did some injury to the foundation of our house. It seemed to have come from the west- ward, and to have left in its trail a cold, disagreeable, smoky vapour. Both occurred in winter. That of December 26 was felt here, but I believe slightly, having escaped my perception." JAGS
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1  Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476  1967   
Transcription: 1 1841 Dec. 3 00:00 Vancouver V 1
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1620  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. 
Transcription: 184112 3 45600-122700W V R 5 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
968  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: 1841. December 2. Vancouver, Wash. Two shocks occurred after the eruption of Mount Baker. The first caused some unstable objects to fall. A loud report preceded or attended the shock, and a roaring noise continued for some time. The second shock was undulatory, appeared to come from the west, and did some damage to a house foundation.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
7113  Pacific County Historical Society and Museum “Columbia River Chronology Historical Dates”
www.pacificcohistory.org/columbia.htm 		    
Transcription: EARTHQUAKE EVENTS LISTED IN THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE

Pacific County Historical Society and Museum “Columbia River Chronology Historical Dates”
www.pacificcohistory.org/columbia.htm

Note: Citations are given for each entry but bibliography is not available at this time per discussion with Pacific County Historical Society.

[SW WASHINGTON EARTHQUAKES]
December 2, 1841 earthquake near Ft Vancouver Washington (Wong and Bott p 128)
December 23, 1854 tsunami recorded at Astoria (Lander p 121)
December 24, 1854 tsunami recorded at Astoria (Lander p 121)
April 3, 1868 tsunami recorded at Astoria (Lander p 122)
August 14, 1868 tsunami recorded at Astoria (Lander p 123)
August 23, 1872 teletsunami recorded at Astoria (Lander p 24, 47)
October 12, 1877 earthquake tremors felt in Astoria oscillating from east to west (Daily Astorian October 13, 1877 p 1)
December 12, 1880 2 earthquakes shocks felt (Daily Astorian [Dec?] 14, 1880 p 3; Algermissen and Harding)
April 30, 1882 Severe tremors (Daily Astorian May 2, 1882 p 3) Daily Astorian May 3, 1882 p 3 mentions that earthquake was felt in Westport and Ft Canby about 10:30 pm [on] April 30. Daily Astorian May 4, 1882 tells that 3 shocks vibrated from SW to NE on April 30.
March 27, 1884 earthquake felt in Hoquiam (Workman p 38)
November 30, 1891 slight earthquake on Grays Harbor (Workman p 49)
February 2, 1892 earthquake in Astoria (Bott and Wong p 118)
February 26, 1895 earthquake hits Astoria (Daily Morning Astorian p 4)
August 6, 1899 earthquake hits Astoria (Astoria Daily Budget August 8, 1899 p 4)
November 20, 1899 tidal wave at Shoalwater Bay (Astoria Daily Budget November 20, 1899 p 4)
September 12, 1903 quake hits city (Astoria Daily Budget p 4)
March 16, 1904 Earthquake felt along Washington Coast and in Aberdeen, Hoquiam (Lander p 59, 127 not mentioned in Astoria newspapers)
March 30, 1904 possible tsunami off Washington coast caused flooding (Lander p 19 not mentioned in Astoria newspapers)
January 11, 1909 Grays Harbor Earthquake (Workman p 68)
November 9, 1920 earthquake hits Astoria (Astoria Budget p 1)
November 29, 1920 slight earthquake hits Astoria (Astoria Budget p 1)
 


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