M4.8 earthquake 88 km WSW of Atka, Alaska
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 88 km WSW of Atka, Alaska on Sat, Mar 17, 1979, 6:11 PM GMT-11 (05:11 UTC), 57 km (35 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 87 km WSW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-18 05:11:53 UTC
- Depth
- 57.0 km (35.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.821° N, 175.334° 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
- 43
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 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 usp0000zfd. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC.