QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Sterling, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Sterling in the 24 hours to 11:22 am AKST (20:22 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 1.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north of Sterling, AK, at 9:04 pm AKDT on 15 August 2017 (05:04 UTC), 46 km deep.

USGS: 2 km N of Sterling, Alaska

87 km (54 mi) SSW of Anchorage, AK

9:04 pm AKDT, Aug 15, 2017 · · 46 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sterling Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 88 kmAnchorage Municipality 105 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
9:04 pm AKDT on 15 August 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north of Sterling, AK · earthquakes near Sterling
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
46 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 88 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1192 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Sterling, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Funny River, Ridgeway, Soldotna, Kenai.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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

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

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 23 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 38 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 31 km S of Funny River, Alaska · 38 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 19 km NNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 46 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 60.5623, -150.7724. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 88 km (54 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough
Anchorage Municipality, AK 105 km (66 mi) NE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 18 km E of Point Possession, Alaska
  2. 1.7 18 km E of Funny River, Alaska
  3. 1.5 14 km SSW of Tyonek, Alaska
  4. 1.5 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
  5. 2.1 5 km ENE of Kenai, Alaska
  6. 1.8 14 km SW of Point Possession, Alaska
  7. 1.6 15 km SW of Point Possession, Alaska
  8. 1.7 14 km S of Point Possession, Alaska
  9. 1.7 12 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska
  10. 1.6 30 km ESE of Kasilof, Alaska
  11. 1.7 27 km SSE of Funny River, Alaska
  12. 1.5 6 km E of Funny River, Alaska
  13. 1.5 10 km ESE of Nikiski, Alaska
  14. 1.6 15 km SSW of Point Possession, Alaska
  15. 2.3 6 km WSW of Point Possession, 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.