QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Sterling, AK

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Sterling in the last 24 hours. M 2.5, 22 km (13 mi) NNE of Sterling, at 9:11 pm AKST on 11 November 2026 (06:11 UTC); the estimated shaking in Sterling was intensity II (weak). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. Every earthquake near Sterling

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Sterling, AK, at 5:10 am AKDT on 20 May 2020 (13:10 UTC), 40 km deep.

USGS: 11 km SE of Point Possession, Alaska

54 km (33 mi) SW of Anchorage, AK

5:10 am AKDT, May 20, 2020 · · 40 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sterling Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 77 kmKenai Peninsula Borough 111 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 am AKDT on 20 May 2020 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Sterling, AK · earthquakes near Sterling
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
40 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 77 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2355 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 Sterling, 37 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 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 22,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 41 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 44 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 24 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 49 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 28 km W 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 60.8492, -150.5432. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 77 km (48 mi) ENE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 111 km (69 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 8 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska
  2. 2.2 25 km E of Funny River, Alaska
  3. 2.1 25 km NE of Point Possession, Alaska
  4. 1.6 9 km NNE of Ridgeway, Alaska
  5. 1.6 5 km N of Point Possession, Alaska
  6. 2.2 18 km NNE of Sterling, Alaska
  7. 1.5 15 km WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
  8. 2.2 14 km WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
  9. 1.5 7 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  10. 1.7 24 km WSW of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  11. 2.3 8 km NW of Sterling, Alaska
  12. 1.8 30 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  13. 1.6 22 km SW of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  14. 2.5 3 km WSW of Funny River, Alaska
  15. 1.6 26 km WSW of Anchorage, 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.