Alaska earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 41 km W of Clear, Alaska, Alaska

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 41 km W of Clear, Alaska, Alaska on Thu, Dec 8, 2016, 1:18 AM AKST (10:18 UTC), 25 km (15 mi) below the surface.

Healy 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: 4.3 (Mw, moment), light
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Thu, Dec 8, 2016, 1:18 AM AKST
UTC: 2016-12-08 10:18:13 UTC
Depth: 24.5 km (15.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 64.194° N, 150.038° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 136
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
PAGER alert: Green
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
4.3	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
4.3	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.026 · 138 stations

What happened

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

Felt (III) Anderson, Clear, Faribanks, Fort Wainwright and Healy; (II) at North Pole. Also felt at Cantwell, Delta Junction, Eielson AFB and Lake Minchumina.

From the USGS event page for ak016frfe9e2. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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?

136 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 4.3 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 112°, dip 70°, rake -180°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 22°, dip 90°, rake -20°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 192

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 66 in the 60 days after this one and 25 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 66.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ak016frfe9e2 (also filed as ak14685748, us20007z4k). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC.