QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Valdez, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Valdez in the 24 hours to 9:17 am AKST (18:17 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 85 km (53 mi) NNW, at 11:11 am AKDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 54 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Valdez

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) south-southwest of Valdez, AK, at 9:37 am AKST on 26 February 2019 (18:37 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 13 km SSE of Tatitlek, Alaska

9:37 am AKST, Feb 26, 2019 · · 10 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Chugach Census Area 37 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
9:37 am AKST on 26 February 2019 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) south-southwest of Valdez, AK · earthquakes near Valdez
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Chugach Census Area, 37 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2795 days ago

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 Valdez, 45 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 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 9.2 The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake · 43 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 25 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.6 37 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 48 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.3 56 km WSW of Cordova, Alaska · 46 km S 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 60.7508, -146.6209. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Chugach Census Area, AK 37 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Chugach Census Area

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. 2.2 44 km SW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  2. 1.5 16 km W of Valdez, Alaska
  3. 1.5 20 km WSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  4. 2.0 53 km WSW of Cordova, Alaska
  5. 1.6 Southern Alaska
  6. 1.9 12 km S of Valdez, Alaska
  7. 1.5 17 km NNW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  8. 2.1 10 km NNW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  9. 1.6 49 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  10. 1.5 54 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
  11. 1.6 49 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
  12. 1.5 19 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  13. 1.5 13 km S of Valdez, Alaska
  14. 1.9 11 km WSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  15. 1.8 38 km S of Tatitlek, 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.