QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 5.3mw

Earthquake near Kalifornsky, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Kalifornsky in the 24 hours to 9:29 pm AKST (06:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 31 km (20 mi) SE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Kalifornsky

This page: a magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) southwest of Kalifornsky, AK, at 8:25 pm AKDT on 6 May 2017 (04:25 UTC), 67 km deep. 735 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14 km N of Ninilchik, Alaska

8:25 pm AKDT, May 6, 2017 · · 67 km deep · released about 1.3 kilotons of TNT

Every earthquake near Kalifornsky Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 41 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
8:25 pm AKDT on 6 May 2017 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) southwest of Kalifornsky, AK · earthquakes near Kalifornsky
Magnitude
M 5.3 (mw)
Depth
67 km below the surface
Felt
735 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 41 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 326 days ago

This was a moderate earthquake. Shaking at this size can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 222 km (138 mi) from the epicentre. In Kalifornsky, 34 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: Kalifornsky 34 km, intensity III · Anchor Point 46 km, intensity III · Kenai 47 km, intensity III · Soldotna 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 kilotons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 6.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5.6× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 5.3 about 1.3 kilotons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2,800× 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. The previous largest was M 4.1 on 2017-03-15.

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

  1. 6.2 16 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 27 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 13 km N of Fox River, Alaska · 45 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 23 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 31 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 13 km NW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 22 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 39 km WNW of Ninilchik, Alaska · 38 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 60.1828, -151.6783. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 41 km (25 mi) WNW 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 10 km NNW of Fritz Creek, Alaska
  2. 2.0 9 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska
  3. 1.6 22 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  4. 2.0 11 km ENE of Ninilchik, Alaska
  5. 2.7 23 km WNW of Anchor Point, Alaska
  6. 1.7 36 km WNW of Ninilchik, Alaska
  7. 1.9 11 km NNW of Ninilchik, Alaska
  8. 2.3 15 km W of Cohoe, Alaska
  9. 1.6 36 km W of Kalifornsky, Alaska
  10. 1.5 35 km WSW of Salamatof, Alaska
  11. 1.9 11 km NNE of Ninilchik, Alaska
  12. 1.8 27 km W of Cohoe, Alaska
  13. 1.6 9 km NNE of Fritz Creek, Alaska
  14. 1.6 10 km WSW of Kenai, Alaska
  15. 2.0 14 km NW of Ninilchik, 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.