Alaska earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 103 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 103 km SSE of Sand Point, Alaska on Wed, Dec 9, 2020, 4:37 PM AKST (01:37 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 89 km SSE 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: 4.9 (mww), light
Local time: Wed, Dec 9, 2020, 4:37 PM AKST
UTC: 2020-12-10 01:37:26 UTC
Depth: 23.1 km (14.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 54.539° N, 159.666° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 4
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

4 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 4.9 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 352°, dip 75°, rake -178°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 261°, dip 88°, rake -15°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.0 km horizontally, 4.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.05
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 61°
Stations used: 168

Nearest places

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

Sand Point, AlaskaPopulation 1,064. Forecast103 kmSSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 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 us7000cpmi (also filed as ak020ful85ly, iscgem619588135). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC.