M3.9 earthquake 126 km SE of Atka, Alaska
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 126 km SE of Atka, Alaska on Fri, Oct 23, 1981, 9:01 PM GMT-10 (07:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 78 km ESE of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.9 (ml), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-24 07:01:31 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.307° N, 173.061° 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 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 usp0001gne. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC.