QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Susitna North, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Susitna North in the 24 hours to 11:14 am AKST (20:14 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 19 km (12 mi) E, at 9:16 am AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Susitna North

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) east of Susitna North, AK, at 4:35 pm AKST on 17 December 2019 (01:35 UTC), 42 km deep.

USGS: 22 km E of Susitna North, Alaska

4:35 pm AKST, Dec 17, 2019 · · 42 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Susitna North Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Matanuska-Susitna Borough 9 kmAnchorage Municipality 114 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
4:35 pm AKST on 17 December 2019 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) east of Susitna North, AK · earthquakes near Susitna North
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
42 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 9 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2516 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 Susitna North, 22 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 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 4.3 on 2017-08-21 — about 16,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.9 23 km NE of Willow, Alaska · 36 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 37 km ENE of Susitna North, Alaska · 17 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 14 km NNE of Fishhook, Alaska · 41 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 25 km NNW of Willow, Alaska · 45 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SSE of Susitna North, Alaska · 27 km SSW 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 62.1950, -149.4305. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK 9 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Anchorage Municipality, AK 114 km (71 mi) S earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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. 1.7 Central Alaska
  2. 1.5 38 km ENE of Susitna North, Alaska
  3. 1.9 22 km NE of Susitna North, Alaska
  4. 1.5 19 km NNW of Meadow Lakes, Alaska
  5. 1.5 11 km NNE of Willow, Alaska
  6. 1.6 24 km ESE of Susitna North, Alaska
  7. 2.0 33 km NNW of Sutton-Alpine, Alaska
  8. 1.6 Central Alaska
  9. 2.0 17 km NNW of Meadow Lakes, Alaska
  10. 1.8 54 km NE of Susitna North, Alaska
  11. 1.6 44 km ENE of Susitna North, Alaska
  12. 2.1 21 km ESE of Susitna North, Alaska
  13. 1.9 56 km ENE of Chase, Alaska
  14. 1.6 23 km NNE of Fishhook, Alaska
  15. 1.5 27 km NE of Willow, 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.