M4.6 earthquake 59 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 59 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska on Wed, Mar 15, 1978, 4:31 PM GMT-10 (02:31 UTC), 51 km (32 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 72 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-03-16 02:31:10 UTC
- Depth
- 51.0 km (31.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 52.433° N, 168.586° 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
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.072 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska · 17722 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.8111 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 17715 days ago · 23 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.791 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 17714 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000te0. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:03 AM UTC.