Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 87 km SW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 87 km SW of Atka, Alaska on Mon, May 18, 1981, 4:30 AM GMT-10 (14:30 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 96 km SW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-05-18 14:30:57 UTC
Depth
46.6 km (29.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.610° N, 175.058° 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.696 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 48 km deep · 13 km away
  2. 4.494 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16561 days ago · 43 km deep · 13 km away
  3. 4.988 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 41 km deep · 23 km away
  4. 5.0100 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 39 km deep · 33 km away
  5. 5.0103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16505 days ago · 36 km deep · 33 km away

Before

  1. 4.371 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 52 km deep · 19 km away
  2. 3.9115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 4.783 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 44 km deep · 5 km away
  4. 4.3149 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 51 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 4.395 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  6. 5.0115 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 16563 days ago · 37 km deep · 35 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dre. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:24 AM UTC.