Alaska earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 66 km E of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 66 km E of Atka, Alaska on Wed, Jan 6, 1971, 3:49 PM GMT-11 (02:49 UTC), 90 km (56 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 107 km SE of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.8 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1971-01-07 02:49:59 UTC
Depth
89.9 km (55.9 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
52.282° N, 173.241° 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
±0.30
Depth from
From location

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem787968 (also filed as ushis3127). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC.