QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.0mw

Earthquake near Anchor Point, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Anchor Point in the 24 hours to 6:41 am AKST (15:41 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 69 km (43 mi) NE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anchor Point

This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) northeast of Anchor Point, AK, at 4:59 am AKDT on 14 October 2016 (12:59 UTC), 63 km deep. 14 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km NE of Anchor Point, Alaska

4:59 am AKDT, Oct 14, 2016 · · 63 km deep · released about 15 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Anchor Point Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 70 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
4:59 am AKDT on 14 October 2016 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) northeast of Anchor Point, AK · earthquakes near Anchor Point
Magnitude
M 4.0 (mw)
Depth
63 km below the surface
Felt
14 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 70 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1198 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 74 km (46 mi) from the epicentre. In Anchor Point, 4 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Anchor Point 4 km, intensity II · Diamond Ridge 19 km, intensity II · Homer 22 km, intensity II · Fritz Creek 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.0 about 15 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 32× 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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 25 km NW of Nanwalek, Alaska · 44 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 16 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 6 km SSE of Fox River, Alaska · 47 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 13 km N of Fox River, Alaska · 49 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 23 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 30 km NW 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 59.8029, -151.7773. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 70 km (43 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
  2. 1.5 8 km SE of Clam Gulch, Alaska
  3. 2.1 19 km W of Clam Gulch, Alaska
  4. 1.5 16 km N of Ninilchik, Alaska
  5. 1.5 26 km NW of Ninilchik, Alaska
  6. 2.5 32 km WNW of Anchor Point, Alaska
  7. 2.4 23 km W of Ninilchik, Alaska
  8. 1.5 4 km W of Anchor Point, Alaska
  9. 1.5 26 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  10. 1.5 32 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  11. 1.8 8 km N of Anchor Point, Alaska
  12. 1.5 11 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  13. 1.7 2 km ESE of Happy Valley, Alaska
  14. 1.7 2 km SW of Ninilchik, Alaska
  15. 1.8 5 km NNW of Nanwalek, 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.