Alaska earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 109 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 109 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska on Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 7:09 AM AKDT (15:09 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.6 2020 Sand Point, Alaska Earthquake. 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: 4.2 (mwr), light
Local time: Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 7:09 AM AKDT
UTC: 2020-09-24 15:09:22 UTC
Depth: 26.1 km (16.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 54.669° N, 159.250° 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: 4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 295°, dip 23°, rake 137°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 65°, dip 74°, rake 72°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.0 km horizontally, 4.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 82°
Stations used: 103

Nearest places

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

Sand Point, AlaskaPopulation 1,064. Forecast109 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 109 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000c0k0 (also filed as ak020cbh0hqh). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 1:42 PM UTC.