Alaska earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 126 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 126 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Sun, May 21, 2017, 7:14 PM HADT (04:14 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 127 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.8 (mb, body-wave), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sun, May 21, 2017, 7:14 PM HADT
UTC: 2017-05-22 04:14:50 UTC
Depth: 19.4 km (12.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.637° N, 178.428° 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
3.8	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.104 · 24 stations
3.4	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 5.4 km horizontally, 9.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 184°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 52

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 202 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 202.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20009l56 (also filed as ak16100213, ak0176iws4e9). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:24 PM UTC.