Alaska earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 133 km W of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 133 km W of Adak, Alaska on Wed, May 10, 2017, 10:25 AM HADT (19:25 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, May 10, 2017, 10:25 AM HADT
UTC: 2017-05-10 19:25:54 UTC
Depth: 19.9 km (12.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.764° N, 178.560° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
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
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.083 · 14 stations
4.9	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary
5.0	mb, body-wave	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 41 stations

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.

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?

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: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 274°, dip 35°, rake 179°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 5°, dip 90°, rake 55°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.7 km horizontally, 3.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.08
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 130°
Stations used: 394

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 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 us10008r89 (also filed as ak16017601, at00opr4n6, ak0175zbbtkk). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:58 AM UTC.