M3.2 earthquake 11 km SSW of Salcha, Alaska
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 11 km SSW of Salcha, Alaska on Sun, May 20, 1979, 8:35 PM GMT-9 (05:35 UTC), 34 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.6 53 km SW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.2 (ml), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-05-21 05:35:22 UTC
- Depth
- 34.0 km (21.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 64.439° N, 147.021° 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
- 8
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 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.025 km SW of Ester, Alaska · 17291 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
- 3.653 km SW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska · 17273 days ago · 33 km deep · 51 km away
- 3.320 km ENE of Healy, Alaska · 17257 days ago · 118 km deep · 94 km away
Before
- 3.215 km SW of Salcha, Alaska · 17294 days ago · 28 km deep · 5 km away
- 3.07 km S of Badger, Alaska · 17296 days ago · 14 km deep · 42 km away
- 3.356 km SSW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska · 17311 days ago · 10 km deep · 55 km away
- 3.333 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska · 17317 days ago · 11 km deep · 99 km away
- 3.582 km ESE of McKinley Park, Alaska · 17321 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00010sd. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:06 AM UTC.