M5.0 earthquake 72 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 72 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska on Wed, Mar 15, 1978, 5:29 PM GMT-10 (03:29 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 111 km SSW 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
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-03-16 03:29:59 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 52.314° N, 168.581° 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
- 89
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8111 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 17723 days ago · 23 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.791 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 17722 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
Before
- 4.659 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska · 17730 days ago · 51 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.573 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska · 17730 days ago · 49 km deep · 3 km away
- 5.176 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska · 17730 days ago · 38 km deep · 5 km away
- 4.780 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska · 17731 days ago · 20 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.46 km W of Nikolski, Alaska · 17742 days ago · 48 km deep · 73 km away
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000te2. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:48 AM UTC.