M5.6 earthquake 119 km SW of Adak, Alaska
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 119 km SW of Adak, Alaska on Wed, Aug 2, 1972, 9:03 PM GMT-10 (07:03 UTC), 48 km (30 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 191 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-08-03 07:03:15 UTC
- Depth
- 47.5 km (29.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.104° N, 177.825° 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
- ±0.33
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem770184. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:56 PM UTC.