Alaska earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 141 km WSW of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 141 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 1:26 PM HADT (22:26 UTC), 31 km (19 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.1 187 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.6 (mb), minor
Local time: Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 1:26 PM HADT
UTC: 2021-08-18 22:26:13 UTC
Depth: 31.1 km (19.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.286° N, 178.441° W
Region: Alaska
Strongest shaking: II, weak shaking
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: II, weak shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 0.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -2.5 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.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.0 km horizontally, 10.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.12
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 204°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 61

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 170 in the 60 days after this one and 105 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 170.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000f5vm (also filed as ak021akquybq). Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC.