M4.8 earthquake 62 km W of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 62 km W of Adak, Alaska on Tue, Dec 10, 1996, 10:55 AM HAST (20:55 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 117 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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
4.8	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · 30 stations
4.8	mb, body-wave	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

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

Felt (IV) on Adak.

From the USGS event page for usp0007u82. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 26 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0007u82 (also filed as ak996fuwn95j). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:42 PM UTC.