QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Unalaska, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Unalaska in the 24 hours to 1:53 pm AKST (22:53 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 117 km (72 mi) ESE, at 3:00 pm AKST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Unalaska

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) south-southeast of Unalaska, AK, at 10:42 am AKDT on 17 October 2020 (18:42 UTC), 52 km deep.

USGS: 47 km SSE of Unalaska, Alaska

10:42 am AKDT, Oct 17, 2020 · · 52 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

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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
10:42 am AKDT on 17 October 2020 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) south-southeast of Unalaska, AK · earthquakes near Unalaska
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
52 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2206 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 Unalaska, 48 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 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 4.8 on 2019-09-27 — about 45,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 25 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 39 km S of Akutan, Alaska · 39 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 57 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska · 18 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 36 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska · 23 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 53 km S of Akutan, Alaska · 38 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 56 km SSW of Unalaska, Alaska · 44 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 53.5093, -166.1503. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.2 54 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  2. 1.8 40 km SSW of Unalaska, Alaska
  3. 1.7 31 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska
  4. 2.0 73 km S of Unalaska, Alaska
  5. 1.9 22 km SSE of Unalaska, Alaska
  6. 2.7 74 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  7. 1.7 60 km SSE of Unalaska, Alaska
  8. 2.5 43 km S of Unalaska, Alaska
  9. 1.8 40 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska
  10. 1.5 38 km S of Akutan, Alaska
  11. 2.1 48 km SSW of Unalaska, AK
  12. 1.6 76 km S of Unalaska, Alaska
  13. 3.1 90 km SE of Unalaska, Alaska
  14. 3.4 40 km ESE of Unalaska, Alaska
  15. 1.9 29 km ESE of Unalaska, 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.