Alaska earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 131 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 131 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska on Fri, Apr 9, 1971, 1:36 PM GMT-11 (00:36 UTC), 30 km (19 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 179 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.5 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1971-04-10 00:36:43 UTC
Depth
30.0 km (18.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.977° N, 169.980° 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
±0.20
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 iscgem785492. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:50 AM UTC.