QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Anchorage, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Anchorage in the 24 hours to 4:56 am AKST (13:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 4:48 pm AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 98 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anchorage

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) southwest of Anchorage, AK, at 6:06 pm AKDT on 22 July 2020 (02:06 UTC), 15 km deep. 82 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km SW of Anchorage, Alaska

9 km (6 mi) SW of Anchorage, AK

6:06 pm AKDT, Jul 22, 2020 · · 15 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Anchorage Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 39 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
6:06 pm AKDT on 22 July 2020 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) southwest of Anchorage, AK · earthquakes near Anchorage
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
82 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity II (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 39 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2197 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 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Anchorage, 9 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.

Likely felt in: Anchorage 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 7.1 on 2018-11-30 — about 2,000,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 19 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.8 20 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska · 41 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 11 km NW of Big Lake, Alaska · 47 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 2 km ENE of Eagle River, Alaska · 33 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 9 km E of Susitna, Alaska · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 26 km SSW of Anchorage, Alaska · 18 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 61.1573, -150.0162. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 39 km (24 mi) E 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. 2.4 0 km W of Big Lake, Alaska
  2. 1.6 4 km N of Big Lake, Alaska
  3. 1.8 8 km N of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  4. 1.6 2 km SSE of Big Lake, Alaska
  5. 1.6 4 km SSE of Big Lake, Alaska
  6. 1.5 9 km NNW of Knik, Alaska
  7. 1.5 5 km NNE of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  8. 3.4 4 km SE of Big Lake, Alaska
  9. 1.8 23 km WSW of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  10. 1.5 4 km ESE of Big Lake, Alaska
  11. 2.1 25 km NE of Point Possession, Alaska
  12. 1.6 2 km ESE of Big Lake, Alaska
  13. 1.8 3 km ESE of Big Lake, Alaska
  14. 1.5 1 km SW of Knik, Alaska
  15. 1.7 4 km SSE of Big Lake, 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.