Alaska earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 47 km SW of Karluk, Alaska

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 47 km SW of Karluk, Alaska on Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 4:24 AM AKST (13:24 UTC), 59 km (36 mi) below the surface.

Womens Bay forecast More in Alaska

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.0 (ml), moderate
Local time: Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 4:24 AM AKST
UTC: 2021-12-30 13:24:36 UTC
Depth: 58.6 km (36.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 57.264° N, 155.004° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 6
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Tsunami

The USGS flags a quake this large in an oceanic region. The flag does not mean a tsunami happened; the tsunami warning centers decide that, and their messages are below when they issued any.

Current tsunami warnings: tsunami.gov. Warnings in force in the US also appear on our alerts pages.

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: 3.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -0.0 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

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

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Normal
Moment magnitude: 5.0 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 64°, dip 39°, rake -70°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 219°, dip 54°, rake -106°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 260

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 48 in the 60 days after this one and 19 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 ak021gq7i6k6 (also filed as us7000g7yj, at00r4xjx0, iscgem621657524). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC.