Alaska earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 71 km SW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 71 km SW of Atka, Alaska on Sun, May 17, 1981, 11:01 PM GMT-10 (09:01 UTC), 52 km (32 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 87 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 09:01:41 UTC
Depth
52.1 km (32.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.773° N, 174.992° 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: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.587 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 47 km deep · 19 km away
  2. 4.696 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 48 km deep · 31 km away
  3. 4.494 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16562 days ago · 43 km deep · 30 km away
  4. 4.261 km NE of Adak, Alaska · 16529 days ago · 164 km deep · 95 km away
  5. 4.988 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 41 km deep · 35 km away
  6. 5.0100 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 39 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 5.0103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 36 km deep · 48 km away

Before

  1. 3.9115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 4.783 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 44 km deep · 13 km away
  3. 4.3149 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 51 km deep · 91 km away
  4. 4.395 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  5. 5.0115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16564 days ago · 37 km deep · 53 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dra. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:12 PM UTC.