QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2mw

Earthquake near Anchorage, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Anchorage in the 24 hours to 11:29 am AKST (20:29 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 4:48 pm AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 98 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anchorage

This page: a magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) south of Anchorage, AK, at 1:41 am AKST on 15 February 2016 (10:41 UTC), 48 km deep. 500 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20 km W of Hope, Alaska

36 km (23 mi) S of Anchorage, AK

1:41 am AKST, Feb 15, 2016 · · 48 km deep · released about 30 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Anchorage Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 50 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:41 am AKST on 15 February 2016 ()
Where
36 km (23 mi) south of Anchorage, AK · earthquakes near Anchorage
Magnitude
M 4.2 (mw)
Depth
48 km below the surface
Felt
500 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 50 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1201 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 102 km (63 mi) from the epicentre. In Anchorage, 36 km away, the estimate is intensity III (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Anchorage 36 km, intensity III · Girdwood 46 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 30 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 63× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 34 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 13 km S of Girdwood, Alaska · 46 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 26 km SSW of Anchorage, Alaska · 14 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 14 km WNW of Anchorage, Alaska · 40 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 19 km E of Point Possession, Alaska · 18 km WNW of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 60.8957, -150.0123. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 50 km (31 mi) NE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

58 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 Southern Alaska
  2. 2.2 26 km E of Sterling, Alaska
  3. 2.3 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
  4. 1.8 25 km ENE of Point Possession, Alaska
  5. 2.1 19 km NNW of Moose Pass, Alaska
  6. 1.7 18 km NE of Sterling, Alaska
  7. 1.6 24 km W of Anchorage, Alaska
  8. 2.2 25 km W of Cooper Landing, Alaska
  9. 2.7 15 km SSE of Point Possession, Alaska
  10. 2.2 16 km NE of Sterling, Alaska
  11. 1.9 28 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  12. 1.6 11 km WNW of Anchorage, Alaska
  13. 1.5 26 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska
  14. 1.5 22 km SSW of Sunrise, Alaska
  15. 1.5 14 km SE of Anchorage, Alaska

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.