Alaska earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 239 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 239 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 3:51 AM GMT-12 (15:51 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 239 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: 5.1 (mww), moderate
Local time: Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 3:51 AM GMT-12
UTC: 2020-01-27 15:51:45 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.044° N, 179.808° W
Region: Alaska
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

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: Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 274°, dip 23°, rake 124°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 58°, dip 71°, rake 77°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.1 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 139°
Stations used: 140

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 88 in the 60 days after this one and 123 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 88.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us60007har (also filed as ak02018wqwja, iscgem617208465). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:26 PM UTC.