Alaska earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 45 km SE of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 45 km SE of Adak, Alaska on Sun, Apr 23, 1978, 5:28 PM GMT-11 (04:28 UTC), 53 km (33 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 43 km ESE of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.2 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1978-04-24 04:28:47 UTC
Depth
53.0 km (32.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.645° N, 176.091° 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
188

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000u88 (also filed as gcmtb042478a, gcmt19780424042847, iscgem684151). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:10 AM UTC.