Alaska earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 149 km SSW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 149 km SSW of Atka, Alaska on Sun, May 17, 1981, 8:36 PM GMT-10 (06:36 UTC), 51 km (32 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.7 83 km SW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.3 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-05-18 06:36:04 UTC
Depth
51.1 km (31.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
50.953° N, 175.003° 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
FROM_LOCATION

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.783 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 44 km deep · 78 km away
  2. 3.9115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 4.371 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 52 km deep · 91 km away
  4. 4.587 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 47 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 4.696 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 48 km deep · 60 km away
  6. 4.494 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16561 days ago · 43 km deep · 61 km away
  7. 4.988 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 41 km deep · 61 km away
  8. 5.0100 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 39 km deep · 49 km away
  9. 5.0103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 36 km deep · 46 km away

Before

  1. 4.395 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 5.0115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 37 km deep · 39 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dr5. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:03 AM UTC.