QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Nikiski, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Nikiski in the 24 hours to 3:18 am AKST (12:18 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 58 km (36 mi) SSE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Nikiski

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) north-northeast of Nikiski, AK, at 7:10 am AKST on 20 January 2018 (16:10 UTC), 55 km deep.

USGS: 8 km ESE of Beluga, Alaska

57 km (36 mi) WSW of Anchorage, AK

7:10 am AKST, Jan 20, 2018 · · 55 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Nikiski Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 89 kmKenai Peninsula Borough 111 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
7:10 am AKST on 20 January 2018 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) north-northeast of Nikiski, AK · earthquakes near Nikiski
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
55 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 89 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Granite Point anticline (Cook Inlet folds), 18 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1190 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 Nikiski, 50 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 4.1 on 2017-09-04 — about 5,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 9 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 9 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 49 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 24 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 Southern Alaska · 41 km WNW 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 61.1026, -150.9418. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 89 km (55 mi) E earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 111 km (69 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

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

  1. 1.5 24 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska
  2. 2.0 14 km W of Beluga, Alaska
  3. 2.3 23 km NNE of Beluga, Alaska
  4. 1.9 12 km NE of Beluga, Alaska
  5. 2.4 22 km N of Nikiski, Alaska
  6. 1.8 16 km WNW of Tyonek, Alaska
  7. 1.7 28 km WSW of Susitna, Alaska
  8. 2.3 11 km NE of Beluga, Alaska
  9. 1.6 1 km NNE of Tyonek, Alaska
  10. 1.5 11 km NNE of Beluga, Alaska
  11. 1.7 18 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska
  12. 1.6 10 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska
  13. 1.5 23 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
  14. 1.5 9 km NE of Beluga, Alaska
  15. 2.4 29 km NNW of Beluga, 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.