M3.8 earthquake 53 km N of Yakutat, Alaska
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 53 km N of Yakutat, Alaska on Wed, Sep 16, 1981, 4:18 PM GMT-8 (00:18 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.1 97 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.8 (mb), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-09-17 00:18:55 UTC
- Depth
- 22.9 km (14.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 60.024° N, 139.623° 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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.197 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska · 16421 days ago · 15 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.5101 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska · 16412 days ago · 15 km deep · 75 km away
- 3.7101 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska · 16412 days ago · 15 km deep · 78 km away
- 4.4105 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska · 16412 days ago · 15 km deep · 80 km away
- 3.8100 km NW of Yakutat, Alaska · 16412 days ago · 15 km deep · 76 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fxe. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:58 AM UTC.