Alaska earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 86 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 86 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska on Mon, Oct 12, 2015, 11:30 AM AKDT (19:30 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.

Sand Point forecast More in Alaska

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.9 (Mww, W-phase moment), light
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Oct 12, 2015, 11:30 AM AKDT
UTC: 2015-10-12 19:30:34 UTC
Depth: 28.6 km (17.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 54.836° N, 159.465° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
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
4.9	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.04	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
4.9	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

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.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 4.9 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 74°, dip 57°, rake 92°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 250°, dip 33°, rake 87°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.1 km horizontally, 4.2 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 121°
Stations used: 579

Nearest places

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

Sand Point, AlaskaPopulation 1,064. Forecast86 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 15 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 us10003n2x (also filed as ak11737763, gcmt20151012193034, ak015d3nnngb, iscgem607865980). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:38 AM UTC.