M3.8 earthquake 39 km ESE of Nikolski, Alaska

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 39 km ESE of Nikolski, Alaska on Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:10 AM AKDT (09:10 UTC), 48 km (30 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 49 km ESE of Nikolski, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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
3.8	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.094 · 29 stations
3.9	ML, local (Richter)	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 115 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 115.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000kch4 (also filed as ak0236aq1lc3). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:33 AM UTC.