Alaska earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 138 km E of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 138 km E of Atka, Alaska on Wed, Dec 2, 2020, 11:47 AM HAST (21:47 UTC), 103 km (64 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.2 172 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

More in Alaska

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
3.6 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2020-12-02 21:47:04 UTC
Depth
103.4 km (64.2 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
52.392° N, 172.200° 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.ScaleComputed byNotes
3.6ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed · ±0.074 · 24 stations
3.1ML, local (Richter)Alaska Earthquake CenterPreliminary

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 11.9 km horizontally, 12.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
187°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
31

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.2172 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska · 2127 days ago · 44 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 3.6169 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska · 2127 days ago · 40 km deep · 90 km away
  3. 3.7178 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska · 2127 days ago · 40 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 2.9135 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2127 days ago · 103 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 3.2142 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2126 days ago · 35 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 2.786 km E of Atka, Alaska · 2123 days ago · 112 km deep · 60 km away
  7. 2.6144 km NE of Atka, Alaska · 2120 days ago · 145 km deep · 65 km away
  8. 3.1Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska · 2115 days ago · 128 km deep · 74 km away
  9. 3.666 km E of Atka, Alaska · 2112 days ago · 102 km deep · 74 km away
  10. 2.956 km NE of Atka, Alaska · 2105 days ago · 201 km deep · 90 km away
  11. 3.4101 km ENE of Atka, Alaska · 2104 days ago · 186 km deep · 55 km away
  12. 2.539 km E of Atka, Alaska · 2100 days ago · 113 km deep · 98 km away
  13. 3.4120 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2098 days ago · 35 km deep · 67 km away
  14. 2.765 km ENE of Atka, Alaska · 2094 days ago · 139 km deep · 82 km away
  15. 3.2171 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska · 2088 days ago · 35 km deep · 95 km away
  16. 1.972 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2082 days ago · 34 km deep · 85 km away

Before

  1. 4.1147 km E of Atka, Alaska · 2132 days ago · 34 km deep · 40 km away
  2. 4.4177 km SW of Nikolski, Alaska · 2139 days ago · 35 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 3.6103 km SE of Atka, Alaska · 2144 days ago · 35 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 2.9106 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2144 days ago · 19 km deep · 76 km away
  5. 3.2112 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2150 days ago · 35 km deep · 67 km away
  6. 3.272 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 2151 days ago · 100 km deep · 80 km away
  7. 4.3130 km ENE of Atka, Alaska · 2154 days ago · 138 km deep · 30 km away

Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000cq0p (also filed as ak020fhow52y). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:25 PM UTC.