Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 60 km WNW of Beluga, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 60 km WNW of Beluga, Alaska on Thu, Sep 1, 2016, 4:27 AM AKDT (12:27 UTC), 132 km (82 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.5 (Mw, moment), light
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Thu, Sep 1, 2016, 4:27 AM AKDT
UTC: 2016-09-01 12:27:42 UTC
Depth: 131.7 km (81.8 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 61.299° N, 152.165° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 37
Tsunami flag: Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
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
4.5	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
4.5	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 28 stations
4.2	ML, local (Richter)	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 18 stations

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (III) at Anchorage and (II) at Eagle River, Homer, Kenai and Soldotna. Also felt at Anchor Point, Chugiak, Girdwood, Kasilof, Sterling and Wasilla.

From the USGS event page for ak016b9dz3vp. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Tsunami

The USGS flags a quake this large in an oceanic region. The flag does not mean a tsunami happened; the tsunami warning centers decide that, and their messages are below when they issued any.

Current tsunami warnings: tsunami.gov. Warnings in force in the US also appear on our alerts pages.

Did you feel it?

37 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude: 4.5 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 307°, dip 51°, rake 124°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 80°, dip 50°, rake 55°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 261

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 193 in the 60 days after this one and 90 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 193.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ak016b9dz3vp (also filed as ak13889704, at00octry5, us10006jah). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC.