Alaska earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 226 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 226 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska on Mon, Nov 30, 1987, 10:48 AM AKST (19:48 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.9 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Nov 30, 1987, 10:48 AM AKST
UTC: 1987-11-30 19:48:26 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 58.239° N, 142.742° W
Region: Alaska
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.9	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · 51 stations
6.17	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.42
5.9	mb, body-wave	USGS historic United States catalog	Final

What happened

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

Felt at Juneau.

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) I

From the USGS event page for usp0003aqa. 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

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 108 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 108.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003aqa (also filed as ushis4057, iscgem454322). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:28 PM UTC.