Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 197 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 197 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Wed, May 24, 1978, 1:49 PM GMT-10 (23:49 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 194 km W of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1978-05-24 23:49:37 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.238° N, 179.296° 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.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
44

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 17 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.9194 km W of Adak, Alaska · 17624 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  2. 4.6173 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17622 days ago · 66 km deep · 25 km away
  3. 4.9176 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17608 days ago · 67 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 4.4156 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17604 days ago · 56 km deep · 51 km away
  5. 3.9159 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17596 days ago · 68 km deep · 49 km away
  6. 4.9124 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17595 days ago · 54 km deep · 73 km away

Before

  1. 4.2201 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  2. 4.8198 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  3. 3.9174 km W of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  4. 4.1201 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
  5. 5.4196 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  6. 4.2199 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 4.3178 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  8. 4.8191 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  9. 3.9173 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  10. 4.5185 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 12 km away
  11. 4.3176 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  12. 4.2196 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 2 km away
  13. 4.9194 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  14. 4.5206 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 11 km away
  15. 4.5199 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  16. 5.0187 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  17. 6.7192 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 17653 days ago · 25 km deep · 6 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uqv. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:40 AM UTC.