Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 67 km SSE of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 67 km SSE of Atka, Alaska on Thu, Sep 20, 1973, 8:58 AM GMT-10 (18:58 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 70 km SSE of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1973-09-20 18:58:01 UTC
Depth
39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.630° N, 173.867° 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.

Stations used
38

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 6 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 usp00003g3. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:25 PM UTC.