Alaska earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 65 km ESE of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 65 km ESE of Adak, Alaska on Mon, Jan 12, 1987, 2:23 AM HAST (12:23 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 69 km SSW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1987-01-12 12:23:14 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.580° N, 175.820° W
Region
Alaska
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (III) on Adak.

From the USGS event page for usp00031m9. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 2.0 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7100 km ESE of Adak, Alaska · 14508 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  2. 4.681 km SSE of Adak, Alaska · 14504 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  3. 5.269 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14499 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 4.781 km WSW of Atka, Alaska · 14470 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 5.144 km SSW of Adak, Alaska · 14465 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
  6. 5.094 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14465 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  7. 4.5106 km ESE of Adak, Alaska · 14463 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  8. 5.091 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 14451 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away

Before

  1. 3.950 km WSW of Atka, Alaska · 14514 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  2. 4.687 km SE of Adak, Alaska · 14521 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 5.146 km SSW of Adak, Alaska · 14532 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 4.895 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14533 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 5.290 km ESE of Adak, Alaska · 14535 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00031m9. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:43 AM UTC.