Alaska earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 45 km ESE of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 45 km ESE of Adak, Alaska on Wed, Oct 1, 1986, 6:56 AM HADT (15:56 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 45 km S of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.4 (mw), moderate
Local time: Wed, Oct 1, 1986, 6:56 AM HADT
UTC: 1986-10-01 15:56:03 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.767° N, 175.997° 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 2.4 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002yk0 (also filed as gcmtb100186b, gcmt19861001155603, iscgem482718). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:51 PM UTC.