Alaska earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 48 km NW of Ninilchik, Alaska

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 48 km NW of Ninilchik, Alaska on Thu, Jan 20, 2022, 8:18 PM AKST (05:18 UTC), 115 km (72 mi) below the surface.

Ninilchik 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: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: Alaska Earthquake Center
Local time: Thu, Jan 20, 2022, 8:18 PM AKST
UTC: 2022-01-21 05:18:26 UTC
Depth: 115.3 km (71.6 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 60.316° N, 152.360° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 911
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
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
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preferred · Preliminary
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.042 · 55 stations
5.3	ML, local (Richter)	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 19 stations
5.0	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

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: 2.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -0.1 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

911 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate 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: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 325°, dip 86°, rake 177°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 55°, dip 87°, rake 4°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 224

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 126 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 126.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ak022ytdd55 (also filed as at00r61o2q, us7000gdrq). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC.