Alaska earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 90 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 90 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska on Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 6:22 PM AKST (03:22 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.

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: 4.5 (mwr), light
Local time: Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 6:22 PM AKST
UTC: 2020-12-30 03:22:18 UTC
Depth: 27.3 km (17.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 54.666° N, 159.686° 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 normal
Moment magnitude: 4.5 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 11°, dip 32°, rake -130°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 235°, dip 66°, rake -68°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.5 km horizontally, 4.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.08
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 135°
Stations used: 120

Nearest places

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

Sand Point, AlaskaPopulation 1,064. Forecast91 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 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 us6000d46z (also filed as ak020grp2q33). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 7:32 PM UTC.