May 11, 2017 Earthquake Information of in Washington

Introduction to the earthquake

• Magnitude uncertainty：3.5 ml ±0.2

• Location uncertainty：47.589°N 122.584°W ±0.3 km

• Depth uncertainty：24.1 km ±0.4

• Origin Time：2017-05-11 07:35:24.720 UTC

• FE Region：SEATTLE-TACOMA URBAN AREA, WASHINGTON (29)

Time

We indicate the date and time when the earthquake initiates rupture, which is known as the "origin" time. Note that large earthquakes can continue rupturing for many 10's of seconds. We provide time in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Seismologists use UTC to avoid confusion caused by local time zones and daylight savings time.

longitude/latitude

An earthquake begins to rupture at a hypocenter which is defined by a position on the surface of the earth (epicenter) and a depth below this point (focal depth). We provide the coordinates of the epicenter in units of latitude and longitude. The latitude is the number of degrees north (N) or south (S) of the equator and varies from 0 at the equator to 90 at the poles. The longitude is the number of degrees east (E) or west (W) of the prime meridian which runs through Greenwich, England. The longitude varies from 0 at Greenwich to 180 and the E or W shows the direction from Greenwich.