Alaska earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 79 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 79 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska on Thu, Dec 20, 1973, 11:44 PM GMT-10 (09:44 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 84 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.7 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1973-12-21 09:44:25 UTC
Depth
47.0 km (29.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
52.296° N, 169.379° 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
27

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004kr. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:27 AM UTC.