Alaska earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 85 km SSW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 85 km SSW of Atka, Alaska on Sun, Jul 5, 1987, 12:23 AM HADT (09:23 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 84 km SSW of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.6 (mw), moderate
Local time: Sun, Jul 5, 1987, 12:23 AM HADT
UTC: 1987-07-05 09:23:00 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.486° N, 174.660° 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 2.5 and up: 12 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 usp00036bw (also filed as gcmtb070587b, ushis4026, gcmt19870705092300, iscgem461351). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:34 PM UTC.