QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7ml

Earthquake near Ester, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ester in the 24 hours to 11:20 pm AKST (08:20 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 6 km (4 mi) SSW, at 9:07 pm AKST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ester

This page: a magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded 28 km (18 mi) west-southwest of Ester, AK, at 11:46 am AKST on 14 January 2020 (20:46 UTC), 20 km deep. 295 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28 km WSW of Ester, Alaska

11:46 am AKST, Jan 14, 2020 · · 20 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Ester Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fairbanks North Star Borough 97 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
11:46 am AKST on 14 January 2020 ()
Where
28 km (18 mi) west-southwest of Ester, AK · earthquakes near Ester
Magnitude
M 3.7 (ml)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
295 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Fairbanks North Star Borough, 97 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2395 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 73 km (45 mi) from the epicentre. In Ester, 28 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: Ester 28 km, intensity II · Fairbanks 41 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× more

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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 15 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 41 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 3 km ESE of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 47 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 10 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 44 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 6 km NW of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 43 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 5 km NNW of Badger, Alaska · 47 km ENE 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 64.7160, -148.5300. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 97 km (60 mi) E earthquakes near Fairbanks North Star Borough
Denali Borough, AK 136 km (84 mi) SSW earthquakes near Denali Borough

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 Central Alaska
  2. 2.5 25 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  3. 2.1 11 km SSW of Ester, Alaska
  4. 2.3 27 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  5. 1.6 28 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  6. 1.8 19 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  7. 1.6 14 km S of Ester, Alaska
  8. 1.7 22 km ENE of Nenana, Alaska
  9. 2.1 18 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  10. 2.0 30 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  11. 1.5 30 km NE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  12. 1.8 22 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  13. 1.5 20 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  14. 2.1 16 km NE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  15. 1.7 30 km N of Four Mile Road, 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.