Alaska earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 81 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 81 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Thu, Jul 18, 1996, 11:28 PM HADT (08:28 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mwc), moderate
Local time: Thu, Jul 18, 1996, 11:28 PM HADT
UTC: 1996-07-19 08:28:56 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.521° N, 177.665° 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.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Oblique reverse
Nodal plane 1: Strike 260°, dip 16°, rake 138°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 31°, dip 79°, rake 78°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0007m88 (also filed as gcmtb071996c, gcmt19960719082856, ak99698jycqv, iscgem975920). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:43 PM UTC.