Alaska earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 79 km SE of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 79 km SE of Adak, Alaska on Mon, Dec 14, 1987, 11:11 PM HAST (09:11 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 95 km SSW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-12-15 09:11:36 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
51.329° N, 175.896° 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 1.9 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.397 km SW of Atka, Alaska · 14157 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 5.595 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  3. 5.5103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
  4. 5.2103 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  5. 5.1100 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  6. 5.383 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  7. 5.193 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14139 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away

Before

  1. 5.0135 km SSW of Atka, Alaska · 14168 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  2. 4.679 km E of Adak, Alaska · 14173 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  3. 4.6114 km SE of Adak, Alaska · 14178 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  4. 4.1104 km S of Adak, Alaska · 14195 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003ba3. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC.