Alaska earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 8 km NW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 8 km NW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska on Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 3:33 PM AKDT (23:33 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 31 km SW of Salcha, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Salcha 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: 3.1 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 3:33 PM AKDT
UTC: 2021-09-17 23:33:19 UTC
Depth: 8.3 km (5.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 64.426° N, 146.727° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 5
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.1	ML, local (Richter)	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
3.2	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.027 · 178 stations

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Also felt at Fairbanks.

From the USGS event page for ak021bydmbf5. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

5 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 106

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 34 in the 60 days after this one and 21 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ak021bydmbf5 (also filed as us7000fc9z). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:58 PM UTC.