Alaska earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 71 km SE of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 71 km SE of Atka, Alaska on Fri, Jun 16, 2017, 3:17 PM HADT (00:17 UTC), 29 km (18 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: 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Jun 16, 2017, 3:17 PM HADT
UTC: 2017-06-17 00:17:14 UTC
Depth: 29.5 km (18.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.785° N, 173.409° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 1
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
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.046 · 45 stations
5.48	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.5	Mw, moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

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
Peak ground acceleration: 841.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak 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

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
Range	Chance
Under 1	69%
1 to 10	29%
10 to 100	2%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USD	Chance
Under 1	65%
1 to 10	30%
10 to 100	4%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 5.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 249°, dip 27°, rake 64°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 97°, dip 66°, rake 103°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.7 km horizontally, 3.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.05
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 33°
Stations used: 797

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 35 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20009n7f (also filed as ak16193257, ak0177pudz4z, iscgem610678730). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:52 AM UTC.