M3.0 earthquake 12 km NNW of Sterling, Alaska
A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 12 km NNW of Sterling, Alaska on Thu, Mar 15, 1973, 12:48 PM GMT-10 (22:48 UTC), 37 km (23 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.8 8 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.0 (ml), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-03-15 22:48:47 UTC
- Depth
- 37.0 km (23.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 60.645° N, 150.816° 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.88 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska · 19527 days ago · 39 km deep · 98 km away
- 3.512 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 19519 days ago · 57 km deep · 15 km away
- 3.213 km S of Point Possession, Alaska · 19517 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
- 3.4Kenai Peninsula, Alaska · 19503 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00000yq. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:25 AM UTC.