Alaska earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 81 km SSE of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 81 km SSE of Atka, Alaska on Thu, May 8, 1986, 7:36 AM HADT (16:36 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 81 km S of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.4 (mb), moderate
Local time: Thu, May 8, 1986, 7:36 AM HADT
UTC: 1986-05-08 16:36:01 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.494° N, 173.877° 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: 101 in the 60 days after this one and 58 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 101.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002trv (also filed as iscgem495104). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC.