Alaska earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 177 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 177 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska on Sun, Jan 14, 1968, 1:40 AM GMT-11 (12:40 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 173 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.6 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1968-01-14 12:40:46 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
52.619° N, 171.445° W
Region
Alaska
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.64
Depth from
From location

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 6.2173 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 21436 days ago · 13 km deep · 6 km away
  2. 5.6185 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 21427 days ago · 42 km deep · 60 km away

Before

  1. 6.1188 km E of Atka, Alaska · 21447 days ago · 27 km deep · 41 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem827264 (also filed as ushis2985). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC.