M4.2 earthquake 43 km S of Akutan, Alaska
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 43 km S of Akutan, Alaska on Sun, Sep 3, 1978, 9:53 AM GMT-9 (18:53 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 86 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-09-03 18:53:07 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 53.748° N, 165.726° 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
- 9
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wcc. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:24 AM UTC.