QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Homer, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Homer in the 24 hours to 12:03 pm AKST (21:03 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 71 km (44 mi) NNE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Homer

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) west of Homer, AK, at 1:52 am AKDT on 6 October 2020 (09:52 UTC), 45 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km W of Homer, Alaska

1:52 am AKDT, Oct 6, 2020 · · 45 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Homer Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kenai Peninsula Borough 88 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
1:52 am AKDT on 6 October 2020 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) west of Homer, AK · earthquakes near Homer
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
45 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 88 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2036 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 Homer, 7 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Diamond Ridge, Anchor Point, Fritz Creek.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 2018-03-13 — about 7,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 25 km NW of Nanwalek, Alaska · 37 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 16 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 6 km SSE of Fox River, Alaska · 45 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 23 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska · 48 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 30 km ESE of Port Graham, Alaska · 49 km SSE 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 59.6416, -151.6796. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 88 km (55 mi) NNW 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 WSW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  2. 1.7 18 km W of Anchor Point, Alaska
  3. 1.5 14 km SW of Anchor Point, Alaska
  4. 1.7 7 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska
  5. 2.1 15 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  6. 2.0 23 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  7. 1.5 10 km SE of Ninilchik, Alaska
  8. 2.0 21 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  9. 1.7 3 km WSW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  10. 1.6 5 km SSE of Nanwalek, Alaska
  11. 1.8 13 km WNW of Happy Valley, Alaska
  12. 1.6 23 km WNW of Anchor Point, Alaska
  13. 1.6 4 km SSW of Nanwalek, Alaska
  14. 2.1 34 km SE of Seldovia Village, Alaska
  15. 1.5 11 km W of Happy Valley, 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.