M4.5 earthquake 163 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 163 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska on Sun, Aug 9, 1981, 9:54 AM GMT-10 (19:54 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 128 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-09 19:54:43 UTC
- Depth
- 38.3 km (23.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 52.130° N, 170.865° 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: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3170 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 16446 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.6128 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 16425 days ago · 46 km deep · 53 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001f6t. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:41 AM UTC.