QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Sterling, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Sterling in the 24 hours to 5:44 pm AKST (02:44 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (13 mi) NNE, at 9:11 pm AKST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Sterling

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Sterling, AK, at 2:33 am AKDT on 6 July 2017 (10:33 UTC), 10 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska

84 km (52 mi) SSW of Anchorage, AK

2:33 am AKDT, Jul 6, 2017 · · 10 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sterling Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 93 kmAnchorage Municipality 102 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
2:33 am AKDT on 6 July 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Sterling, AK · earthquakes near Sterling
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 93 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1193 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Sterling, 6 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: Sterling 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 4.0 on 2016-11-21 — about 180 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 18 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 43 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 43 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 31 km S of Funny River, Alaska · 37 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 19 km NE of Nikiski, Alaska · 34 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 60.5582, -150.6686. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 93 km (58 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough
Anchorage Municipality, AK 102 km (63 mi) NE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 21 km SSW of Point Possession, Alaska
  2. 1.5 13 km SSE of Funny River, Alaska
  3. 1.6 22 km S of Funny River, Alaska
  4. 1.5 13 km E of Sterling, Alaska
  5. 1.6 24 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  6. 1.6 9 km W of Point Possession, Alaska
  7. 2.5 20 km ESE of Kasilof, Alaska
  8. 1.7 31 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  9. 1.7 11 km E of Funny River, Alaska
  10. 1.5 11 km WNW of Point Possession, Alaska
  11. 2.8 29 km ESE of Clam Gulch, Alaska
  12. 1.5 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
  13. 1.7 17 km SE of Kasilof, Alaska
  14. 1.5 22 km SSE of Point Possession, Alaska
  15. 1.7 18 km SE of Kasilof, 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.