Alaska earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 94 km SW of Atka, Alaska

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 94 km SW of Atka, Alaska on Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 11:56 AM HADT (20:56 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 53 km E 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: 4.6 (Mwr, regional moment), light
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 11:56 AM HADT
UTC: 2024-03-12 20:56:50 UTC
Depth: 37.9 km (23.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.573° N, 175.125° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 1
Strongest shaking: II, weak shaking
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
4.6	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.083 · 14 stations
4.6	Mwr, regional moment	Alaska Earthquake Center	Preliminary

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: 0.2% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -2.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

1 person 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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 4.6 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 69°, dip 72°, rake 97°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 227°, dip 20°, rake 69°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.8 km horizontally, 5.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.08
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 106°
Stations used: 178

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 157 in the 60 days after this one and 76 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 157.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000miha (also filed as ak0243bexrqb). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC.