Alaska earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 87 km S of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 87 km S of Atka, Alaska on Sat, Mar 12, 2016, 9:21 PM HAST (07:21 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 75 km S 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: 3.1 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Mar 12, 2016, 9:21 PM HAST
UTC: 2016-03-13 07:21:18 UTC
Depth: 18.0 km (11.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.420° N, 173.988° 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
3.1	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · 14 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 5.9 km horizontally, 4.0 km in depth
Stations used: 14

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 113 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20005afc (also filed as ak12971617, ak0163cuiwqw). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:40 PM UTC.