Alaska earthquakes

M7.1 earthquake 113 km SE of McCarthy, Alaska

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 113 km SE of McCarthy, Alaska on Wed, Feb 28, 1979, 12:27 PM GMT-9 (21:27 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 7.1 (ms), major
Local time: Wed, Feb 28, 1979, 12:27 PM GMT-9
UTC: 1979-02-28 21:27:06 UTC
Depth: 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 60.642° N, 141.593° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 57.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 4.2 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: 479

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 135 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 135.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000z2a (also filed as iscgem670396, choy19790228212706, gcmtz022879a, ushis3507, gcmt19790228212706, atlas19790228212707). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 8:24 PM UTC.