Alaska earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 104 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 104 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska on Mon, Oct 19, 2020, 1:06 PM AKDT (21:06 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 144 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Sand Point forecastMore in Alaska

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.7 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
2020-10-19 21:06:20 UTC
Depth
26.2 km (16.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
54.507° N, 159.729° W
Region
Alaska
Strongest shaking
IV, light shaking
PAGER alert
Green
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

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
4.7% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
0.8 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

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
RangeChance
Under 169%
1 to 1029%
10 to 1002%
100 to 1,000Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000Under 1%
Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USDChance
Under 165%
1 to 1030%
10 to 1004%
100 to 1,000Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000Under 1%

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Landslide alert
Green
Liquefaction alert
Green

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 6.5 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
150°
Stations used
59

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 27 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000c9lb (also filed as ak020dgx0436, iscgem619515266). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 3:03 PM UTC.