Alaska earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake Southeastern Alaska

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck in Southeastern Alaska on Tue, Apr 3, 1979, 7:13 AM GMT-9 (16:13 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 50 km NNW of Yakutat, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Yakutat forecastMore in Alaska

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.9 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1979-04-03 16:13:26 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
59.860° N, 140.867° 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
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 69 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000zty. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:36 PM UTC.