Alaska earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 73 km S of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 73 km S of Atka, Alaska on Thu, Mar 17, 2016, 5:05 PM HADT (02:05 UTC), 6 km (4 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: 2.9 (ML, local (Richter)), micro
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, Mar 17, 2016, 5:05 PM HADT
UTC: 2016-03-18 02:05:36 UTC
Depth: 5.8 km (3.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.539° N, 174.310° 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
2.9	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
2.9	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 4.6 km horizontally, 6.5 km in depth
Stations used: 10

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 152 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 us20005avw (also filed as ak12994264, ak0163l1534l). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:41 PM UTC.