Alaska earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 102 km SSE of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 102 km SSE of Atka, Alaska on Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 8:52 PM HAST (06:52 UTC), 12 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 75 km SE of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.8 (mb, body-wave), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 8:52 PM HAST
UTC: 2015-12-18 06:52:32 UTC
Depth: 12.4 km (7.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.314° N, 173.771° 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
3.8	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.17 · 9 stations
3.1	ML, local (Richter)	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 6.7 km horizontally, 5.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.17
Stations used: 15

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 60 in the 60 days after this one and 38 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 us10004886 (also filed as ak12284901, ak015g691z8c). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 12:09 PM UTC.