QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Unalaska, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Unalaska in the 24 hours to 2:49 pm AKST (23:49 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 117 km (72 mi) ESE, at 3:00 pm AKST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Unalaska

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) east of Unalaska, AK, at 9:43 am AKDT on 1 September 2019 (17:43 UTC), 63 km deep.

USGS: 37 km SSW of Akutan, Alaska

9:43 am AKDT, Sep 1, 2019 · · 63 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

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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
9:43 am AKDT on 1 September 2019 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) east of Unalaska, AK · earthquakes near Unalaska
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
63 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2616 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 Unalaska, 42 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2016-09-18 — about 32,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 30 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 39 km S of Akutan, Alaska · 10 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 50 km SE of Akutan, Alaska · 46 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 57 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska · 30 km S of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 36 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska · 14 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 53 km S of Akutan, Alaska · 24 km SE 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 53.8019, -165.9125. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 12 km WNW of Akutan, Alaska
  2. 1.5 70 km S of Akutan, Alaska
  3. 1.8 38 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  4. 2.0 58 km SSE of Akutan, Alaska
  5. 2.8 22 km SSE of Unalaska, Alaska
  6. 2.7 51 km SSE of Akutan, Alaska
  7. 1.5 17 km NE of Dutch Harbor, Alaska
  8. 1.5 15 km ENE of Unalaska, Alaska
  9. 1.6 16 km NE of Dutch Harbor, Alaska
  10. 2.2 Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
  11. 1.5 59 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  12. 1.7 79 km SSE of Akutan, Alaska
  13. 1.6 63 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  14. 1.6 21 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska
  15. 2.9 74 km SE of Unalaska, 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.