M4.5 earthquake 29 km WSW of Adak, Alaska
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 29 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Wed, Oct 4, 1978, 8:53 AM GMT-10 (18:53 UTC), 58 km (36 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 27 km SW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-10-04 18:53:00 UTC
- Depth
- 58.0 km (36.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.809° N, 177.054° 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
- 13
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 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 usp0000wv0. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:29 AM UTC.