M4.4 earthquake 131 km S of False Pass, Alaska
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 131 km S of False Pass, Alaska on Thu, Apr 20, 1978, 4:56 PM GMT-11 (03:56 UTC), 51 km (32 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 109 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
- 4.4 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-04-21 03:56:30 UTC
- Depth
- 51.0 km (31.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 53.676° N, 163.638° 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
- 15
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9109 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska · 17665 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.465 km SSW of False Pass, Alaska · 17661 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.495 km SE of False Pass, Alaska · 17644 days ago · 21 km deep · 97 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000u6t. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:03 AM UTC.