Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 81 km SSE of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 81 km SSE of Adak, Alaska on Sat, May 23, 1987, 2:18 PM HADT (23:18 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 82 km SW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-05-23 23:18:00 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.225° N, 176.083° 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 1.5 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.397 km ESE of Adak, Alaska · 14364 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  2. 3.697 km SSE of Adak, Alaska · 14363 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  3. 4.982 km SW of Adak, Alaska · 14358 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 5.036 km SE of Adak, Alaska · 14358 days ago · 58 km deep · 49 km away
  5. 4.975 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 14351 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 4.386 km SSE of Adak, Alaska · 14344 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
  7. 4.986 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14335 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  8. 4.588 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14335 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  9. 4.0100 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14329 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  10. 4.588 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14329 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  11. 4.784 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14329 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  12. 5.097 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14329 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  13. 4.583 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14328 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  14. 5.984 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14323 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  15. 4.3159 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14323 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  16. 5.183 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14323 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  17. 4.1110 km SSE of Adak, Alaska · 14307 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away

Before

  1. 4.774 km SSE of Adak, Alaska · 14367 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  2. 5.061 km SE of Adak, Alaska · 14374 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 4.760 km SE of Adak, Alaska · 14376 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000357g. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:48 AM UTC.