Alaska earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 74 km SSE of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 74 km SSE of Atka, Alaska on Sat, Mar 12, 2016, 6:19 PM HAST (04:19 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 75 km S of Atka, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Mar 12, 2016, 6:19 PM HAST
UTC: 2016-03-13 04:19:25 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.552° N, 173.883° 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
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.44	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.5	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	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)
Moment magnitude: 5.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 69°, dip 61°, rake 96°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 238°, dip 30°, rake 80°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.5 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 44°
Stations used: 205

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 122 in the 60 days after this one and 52 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 122.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10004x57 (also filed as ak0163csq72x, ak12971068, gcmt20160313041925, iscgem611839001). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC.