Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1ml
Earthquake near Anchorage, AK
No earthquake was likely felt in Anchorage in the 24 hours to 6:27 am AKST (15:27 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 4:48 pm AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 98 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anchorage
This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) west-southwest of Anchorage, AK, at 11:38 am AKDT on 27 May 2018 (19:38 UTC), 15 km deep.
USGS: 18 km E of Beluga, Alaska
47 km (29 mi) WSW of Anchorage, AK
- When
- 11:38 am AKDT on 27 May 2018 ()
- Where
- 47 km (29 mi) west-southwest of Anchorage, AK · earthquakes near Anchorage
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (ml)
- Depth
- 15 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Anchorage Municipality, 79 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1187 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Anchorage, AK
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Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Anchorage, 47 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.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 710 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.8 Southern Alaska · 20 km W of this epicentre
- 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 16 km WNW of this epicentre
- 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 29 km SW of this epicentre
- 5.8 17 km NW of Beluga, Alaska · 35 km WNW of this epicentre
- 5.8 27 km N of Beluga, Alaska · 34 km NNW 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 61.1118, -150.7484. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 79 km (49 mi) | E | earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 119 km (74 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
58 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 18 km N of Nikiski, Alaska
- 1.7 11 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
- 1.6 7 km W of Point Possession, Alaska
- 1.5 6 km SW of Tyonek, Alaska
- 1.5 24 km W of Susitna, Alaska
- 1.6 11 km ENE of Point Possession, Alaska
- 2.6 21 km NNE of Beluga, Alaska
- 2.2 23 km WSW of Susitna, Alaska
- 1.9 17 km E of Beluga, Alaska
- 1.8 18 km ESE of Beluga, Alaska
- 1.5 3 km WNW of Tyonek, Alaska
- 1.7 12 km NE of Beluga, Alaska
- 2.5 16 km E of Beluga, Alaska
- 1.9 3 km SSE of Susitna, Alaska
- 1.7 25 km WSW of Susitna, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.