QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Nikiski, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Nikiski in the 24 hours to 10:23 pm AKST (07:23 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 2.7 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Nikiski, AK, at 5:10 pm AKST on 14 February 2020 (02:10 UTC), 9.5 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15 km W of Point Possession, Alaska

67 km (42 mi) WSW of Anchorage, AK

5:10 pm AKST, Feb 14, 2020 · · 9.5 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Nikiski Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 95 kmAnchorage Municipality 95 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
5:10 pm AKST on 14 February 2020 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) northeast of Nikiski, AK · earthquakes near Nikiski
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
9.5 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 95 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Granite Point anticline (Cook Inlet folds), 21 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 2385 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Nikiski, 30 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 4.5 on 2018-10-15 — about 500 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 22 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 29 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 42 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 32 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 5 km WSW 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 60.9088, -150.9680. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 95 km (59 mi) SW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough
Anchorage Municipality, AK 95 km (59 mi) ENE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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. 1.6 11 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska
  2. 1.6 22 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska
  3. 1.8 15 km WNW of Point Possession, Alaska
  4. 1.9 13 km SSE of Point Possession, Alaska
  5. 1.6 21 km NE of Beluga, Alaska
  6. 1.8 19 km NNW of Sterling, Alaska
  7. 1.6 29 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska
  8. 1.6 21 km WNW of Beluga, Alaska
  9. 1.5 10 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  10. 1.6 21 km NNE of Sterling, Alaska
  11. 1.6 5 km ESE of Salamatof, Alaska
  12. 1.5 8 km ENE of Ridgeway, Alaska
  13. 2.8 9 km NNW of Nikiski, Alaska
  14. 2.2 23 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska
  15. 1.7 6 km E of Salamatof, 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.