Alaska earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 25 km SW of Akhiok, Alaska

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 25 km SW of Akhiok, Alaska on Sat, Dec 12, 2015, 1:36 PM AKST (22:36 UTC), 41 km (26 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: 4.6 (Mw, moment), light
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Sat, Dec 12, 2015, 1:36 PM AKST
UTC: 2015-12-12 22:36:44 UTC
Depth: 41.3 km (25.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 56.760° N, 154.419° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
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
4.6	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
4.6	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.04 · 60 stations
4.4	ML, local (Richter)	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 4 stations

Tsunami

The USGS flags a quake this large in an oceanic region. The flag does not mean a tsunami happened; the tsunami warning centers decide that, and their messages are below when they issued any.

Current tsunami warnings: tsunami.gov. Warnings in force in the US also appear on our alerts pages.

Shaking

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

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
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.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 4.6 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 159°, dip 70°, rake 153°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 259°, dip 65°, rake 22°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 182

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 32 in the 60 days after this one and 14 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 ak015fwl9ff2 (also filed as ak12247618, at00nz9o59, us20004gtq). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:42 PM UTC.