QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Cordova, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Cordova in the 24 hours to 5:52 am AKST (14:52 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 7:37 pm AKDT on 28 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cordova

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) south-southwest of Cordova, AK, at 3:32 pm AKDT on 28 April 2017 (23:32 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 45 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska

3:32 pm AKDT, Apr 28, 2017 · · 18 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Chugach Census Area 32 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
3:32 pm AKDT on 28 April 2017 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) south-southwest of Cordova, AK · earthquakes near Cordova
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Chugach Census Area, 32 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1194 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 49 km (30 mi) from the epicentre. In Cordova, 45 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: Cordova 45 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 24 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 60 km SW of Cordova, Alaska · 25 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 56 km WSW of Cordova, Alaska · 31 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 78 km S of Cordova, Alaska · 46 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 67 km E of Chenega, Alaska · 42 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 66 km E of Chenega, Alaska · 34 km W 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 60.2012, -146.2119. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Chugach Census Area, AK 32 km (20 mi) N earthquakes near Chugach Census Area

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 60 km S of Cordova, Alaska
  2. 1.7 69 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  3. 1.6 69 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  4. 1.8 63 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  5. 1.9 69 km SW of Cordova, Alaska
  6. 2.3 79 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  7. 1.9 Southern Alaska
  8. 3.4 84 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  9. 2.5 31 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  10. 1.7 49 km WSW of Cordova, Alaska
  11. 1.5 35 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  12. 1.5 36 km S of Cordova, Alaska
  13. 2.1 36 km SSW of Cordova, Alaska
  14. 1.6 37 km S of Cordova, Alaska
  15. 4.9 36 km SSW of Cordova, 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.