QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Tanaina, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Tanaina in the 24 hours to 12:48 pm AKST (21:48 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 59 km (37 mi) N, at 9:16 am AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tanaina

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north of Tanaina, AK, at 10:17 pm AKST on 27 December 2016 (07:17 UTC), 35 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km N of Tanaina, Alaska

62 km (38 mi) NNE of Anchorage, AK

10:17 pm AKST, Dec 27, 2016 · · 35 km deep · released about 950 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tanaina Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Matanuska-Susitna Borough 60 kmAnchorage Municipality 62 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
10:17 pm AKST on 27 December 2016 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) north of Tanaina, AK · earthquakes near Tanaina
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
35 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 60 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Castle Mountain fault, 5 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1197 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Tanaina, 11 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: Tanaina 11 km, intensity II · Fishhook 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 950 lb of TNT

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 since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2016-08-02 — about 45 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.9 23 km NE of Willow, Alaska · 25 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 14 km NNE of Fishhook, Alaska · 23 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 11 km NW of Big Lake, Alaska · 39 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 2 km ENE of Eagle River, Alaska · 45 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 25 km NNW of Willow, Alaska · 45 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 61.7292, -149.4562. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK 60 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Anchorage Municipality, AK 62 km (39 mi) S earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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. 1.9 27 km ESE of Susitna North, Alaska
  2. 1.6 20 km N of Meadow Lakes, Alaska
  3. 2.7 15 km NNW of Meadow Lakes, Alaska
  4. 1.6 34 km NNW of Sutton-Alpine, Alaska
  5. 1.7 4 km NE of Willow, Alaska
  6. 1.7 7 km NW of Eagle River, Alaska
  7. 1.6 21 km NNW of Fishhook, Alaska
  8. 1.7 15 km W of Fishhook, Alaska
  9. 1.7 7 km ESE of Susitna North, Alaska
  10. 1.7 19 km ESE of Susitna North, Alaska
  11. 1.8 9 km NNE of Houston, Alaska
  12. 1.8 4 km SSW of Houston, Alaska
  13. 1.9 4 km SE of Big Lake, Alaska
  14. 1.7 10 km NNW of Tanaina, Alaska
  15. 1.6 3 km N of Point MacKenzie, 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.