Alaska earthquakes

M6.0 earthquake 36 km E of Minto, Alaska

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 36 km E of Minto, Alaska on Thu, Oct 5, 1995, 9:23 PM AKDT (05:23 UTC), 9 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: 6.0 (Mw, moment), strong
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Thu, Oct 5, 1995, 9:23 PM AKDT
UTC: 1995-10-06 05:23:18 UTC
Depth: 9.1 km (5.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 65.170° N, 148.565° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
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
6.0	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
5.8	Ms, surface-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 64 stations
5.96	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
6.0	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary
6.34	Me, energy	Choy, USGS energy magnitude	Reviewed

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 5421), matched to this event by time and place.

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake

What happened

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

Minor damage (VI) at Fairbanks. Felt (V) at Anderson, Delta Junction, Eielson Air Force Base, Ester, Nenana, North Pole, Rampart, Salcha and Wiseman; (IV) at Bettles, Cantwell, Dot Lake, Eagle, Fort Yukon, Lake Minchumina, Manley Hot Springs, Minto, Ruby, Tanana and Tok; (III) at Circle, Coldfoot, Hughes, McGrath, Paxson, Talkeetna, Valdez and Wasilla; (II) at Palmer. Felt throughout central Alaska as far south as Anchorage. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=93 Dip=87 Slip=174 NP2:Strike=183 Dip=84 Slip=3 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=6 Azm=48 (P) Plg=2 Azm=138 Comment: The focal mechanism is well controlled and corresponds to strike-slip faulting with a small reverse component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 9 Focal mech. F Energy 8.0+2.2*10**13 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 21 No. of sta: 15 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=-0.30 Mtt=-0.28 Mff=0.58 Mrt=0.30 Mrf=0.29 Mtf=-1.04 Principal axes: (T) Val=1.28 Plg=3 Azm=237 (N) Val=-0.11 Plg=64 Azm=333 (P) Val=-1.17 Plg=25 Azm=145 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.2*10**18 NP1:Strike=284 Dip=70 Slip=-164 NP2:Strike=188 Dip=75 Slip=-21 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GSN L.P.B.: 39S, 83C M.W.: 39S, 59C Centroid Location: Origin Time 05:23:24.2 0.2 Lat 65.28N 0.02 Lon 148.50W 0.04 Dep 15.0 BDY Half-duration 2.3 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.33 0.12 Mtt=-5.86 0.14 Mff=7.18 0.13 Mrt=2.22 0.41 Mrf=-1.04 0.48 Mtf=-8.23 0.13 Principal Axes: (T) Val=11.45 Plg=9 Azm=64 (N) Val=-1.33 Plg=77 Azm=294 (P) Val=-10.11 Plg=10 Azm=155 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.1*10**18 NP1:Strike=199 Dip=77 Slip=-1 NP2:Strike=289 Dip=89 Slip=-167

From the USGS event page for ak995cti1ypa. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 29.5% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.3 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 18

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 32 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ak995cti1ypa (also filed as usp00074kv, choy19951006052318, gcmtc100695b, gcmt19951006052318, iscgem74375, atlas19951006052320). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:20 AM UTC.