Alaska earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 39 km E of Adak, Alaska

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 39 km E of Adak, Alaska on Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 11:25 AM HAST (21:25 UTC), 61 km (38 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 11:25 AM HAST
UTC: 2026-01-24 21:25:38 UTC
Depth: 61.2 km (38.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 51.922° N, 176.069° W
Region: Alaska
Felt reports: 3
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
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.047 · 44 stations
5.7	ML, local (Richter)	Alaska Earthquake Center	Reviewed · ±0.2 · 33 stations
5.1	mb, body-wave	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 40 stations
5.3	Mwb, body-wave moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS, automatic first solution	First automatic solution · Confirmed

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.

Tsunami Information Statement from the NTWC. Read the message

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: 8.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Aftershock forecast

The chance of at least one aftershock this large or larger, from the USGS operational aftershock forecast, issued Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 9:25 PM UTC. The USGS updates it as the sequence unfolds.

Within	M3+	M4+	M5+	M6+	M7+
1 day	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%
1 week	5%	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%
1 month	17%	2%	Under 1%	Under 1%	Under 1%
1 year	73%	14%	2%	Under 1%	Under 1%

In the coming week the USGS expects about 0 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or more, and most likely between 0 and 1.

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: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 60°, dip 59°, rake 64°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 284°, dip 40°, rake 126°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.6 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.05
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 75°
Stations used: 123

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 82 in the 60 days after this one and 43 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 82.

Before

Earthquakes today Alaska earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000rrv2 (also filed as at00t9e0uq, ak2026brwicb, usauto7000rrv2). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:49 AM UTC.