M4.2 earthquake 142 km S of False Pass, Alaska
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 142 km S of False Pass, Alaska on Sun, Dec 9, 1973, 7:21 PM GMT-11 (06:21 UTC), 44 km (27 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.5 81 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-12-10 06:21:54 UTC
- Depth
- 44.0 km (27.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 53.593° N, 163.807° 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
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.2106 km S of False Pass, Alaska · 19237 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
- 6.581 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska · 19221 days ago · 2 km deep · 61 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004gh. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:54 AM UTC.