QuakeIndex

Fault · Alaska

Gulf of Alaska shear zone

242 kmlong (150 mi), as mapped
not measuredhow fast it slips
last 150 yearssince it last broke the surface
73quakes of M2.5+ within 10 km since 2016

In plain English

It has broken the ground surface within the last 150 years.

The largest earthquake recorded near it was M 4.2 in 2026 (285 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska) — about 63 times the energy of an M3.0, the size people start to feel. It released about 30 tons of TNT.

This week vs. its last ten years

0/100

quiet

0 quakes of M1.5+ within 5 km of the trace in the last 7 days — busier than 0% of weeks since 2016. A normal week: 0–0.

Computed from the USGS catalogue · a description of the past, not a forecast · method

Alaska-Aleutian subduction zoneDenali faultTransition faultPamplona fault
The Gulf of Alaska shear zone as mapped at the surface (glowing), with the other mapped faults nearby, 73 of the M2.5+ earthquakes within 10 km of it since 2016 (dots), . Traces: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Historic epicentres are estimates.

Every year since 2016

Earthquakes of M2.5+ with an epicentre within 10 km of the mapped trace. Near is not the same as on: some will have slipped on neighbouring faults.

The big ones recorded near it

  1. M 4.2 285 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    April 9, 2026 · epicentre 4 km from the trace
  2. M 4.2 219 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    February 3, 2022 · epicentre 5 km from the trace

Before 1973 from the USGS ComCat historical catalogue (within 25 km; epicentres of old earthquakes are estimates). Since 2016, M4+ within 10 km.

Most recent near it

  1. M 2.8 287 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-05-14 · 0 km from the trace
  2. M 2.8 196 km WSW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-05-12 · 0 km from the trace
  3. M 2.8 269 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-05-09 · 5 km from the trace
  4. M 4.2 285 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-04-09 · 4 km from the trace
  5. M 2.5 200 km WSW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-03-20 · 4 km from the trace
  6. M 2.5 249 km SW of Yakutat, Alaska
    2026-03-20 · 4 km from the trace

Fault trace, slip rate and age: USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database (public domain), simplified for the web. Earthquakes: USGS ComCat. QuakeIndex does not forecast earthquakes; a fault's history describes the past. For early warning use ShakeAlert.