M4.5 earthquake 41 km SE of Adak, Alaska
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 41 km SE of Adak, Alaska on Sun, Aug 16, 1981, 5:30 AM GMT-10 (15:30 UTC), 52 km (32 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 107 km ESE of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-16 15:30:05 UTC
- Depth
- 52.0 km (32.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.590° N, 176.247° 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.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 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 usp0001fau. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:45 PM UTC.