Alaska earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska on Sun, May 17, 1981, 10:05 PM GMT-10 (08:05 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 71 km SW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.9 (mb), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-05-18 08:05:37 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.210° N, 174.719° 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: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.371 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 52 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 4.587 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 47 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 4.696 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 48 km deep · 38 km away
  4. 4.494 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16561 days ago · 43 km deep · 38 km away
  5. 4.988 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 41 km deep · 31 km away
  6. 5.0100 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 39 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 5.0103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 36 km deep · 17 km away

Before

  1. 4.783 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 44 km deep · 54 km away
  2. 4.3149 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 51 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 4.395 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  4. 5.0115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 37 km deep · 24 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dr9. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:03 AM UTC.