QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Healy, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Healy in the 24 hours to 7:07 am AKST (16:07 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 23 km (14 mi) NNE, at 4:13 pm AKST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Healy

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Healy, AK, at 10:06 am AKDT on 28 September 2019 (18:06 UTC), 117 km deep.

USGS: 44 km ENE of Ferry, Alaska

10:06 am AKDT, Sep 28, 2019 · · 117 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Denali Borough 101 kmFairbanks North Star Borough 102 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
10:06 am AKDT on 28 September 2019 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) northeast of Healy, AK · earthquakes near Healy
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
117 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Denali Borough, 101 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Northern Foothills thrust fault (Northern Foothills fold and thrust belt), 4 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 2520 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Healy, 48 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 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 7.1 Central Alaska · 18 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 23 km ENE of Ferry, Alaska · 22 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 35 km E of Healy, Alaska · 29 km S of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 39 km SW of Salcha, Alaska · 40 km ENE 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 64.1556, -148.2560. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Denali Borough, AK 101 km (63 mi) WSW earthquakes near Denali Borough
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 102 km (63 mi) NE earthquakes near Fairbanks North Star Borough

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 17 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  2. 2.1 18 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  3. 1.5 18 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  4. 1.8 19 km NE of Healy, Alaska
  5. 1.7 20 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  6. 1.5 18 km NE of Healy, Alaska
  7. 2.0 19 km W of Ferry, AK
  8. 1.5 20 km W of Ferry, AK
  9. 2.0 18 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  10. 1.8 20 km NE of Healy, Alaska
  11. 1.5 46 km ESE of Nenana, Alaska
  12. 1.6 18 km E of Healy, Alaska
  13. 1.5 17 km E of McKinley Park, Alaska
  14. 1.7 19 km E of Ferry, Alaska
  15. 1.8 19 km E of Ferry, 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.