M5.3 earthquake 87 km SSE of Atka, Alaska
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 87 km SSE of Atka, Alaska on Thu, Jun 19, 1997, 5:33 PM HADT (02:33 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1997-06-20 02:33:54 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.481° N, 173.678° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.31 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 252°, dip 17°, rake 105°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 56°, dip 74°, rake 85°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00083r7 (also filed as gcmtb062097a, gcmt19970620023354, iscgem1032918). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC.