Alaska earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 45 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 45 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska on Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 11:45 AM AKDT (19:45 UTC), 44 km (27 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 68 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Sand Point forecast More in Alaska

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: Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 11:45 AM AKDT
UTC: 2020-08-19 19:45:59 UTC
Depth: 43.9 km (27.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 54.943° N, 160.314° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 4
Tsunami flag: Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

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.

Did you feel it?

4 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

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: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 254°, dip 32°, rake 101°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 61°, dip 59°, rake 83°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.1 km horizontally, 2.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.03
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 53°
Stations used: 163

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Sand Point, AlaskaPopulation 1,064. Forecast45 kmSSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 142 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 142.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000bhbu (also filed as at00qfbtkn, ak020ao09wft, iscgem618741828). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 7:11 PM UTC.