Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.5ml
Earthquake near Cordova, AK
No earthquake was likely felt in Cordova in the 24 hours to 7:26 am AKST (16:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 7:37 pm AKDT on 28 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cordova
This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 44 km (27 mi) west-northwest of Cordova, AK, at 10:58 pm AKST on 21 January 2021 (07:58 UTC), 8.2 km deep.
USGS: 24 km SSE of Tatitlek, Alaska
- When
- 10:58 pm AKST on 21 January 2021 ()
- Where
- 44 km (27 mi) west-northwest of Cordova, AK · earthquakes near Cordova
- Magnitude
- M 1.5 (ml)
- Depth
- 8.2 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Chugach Census Area, 26 km SE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2109 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Cordova, AK
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Cordova, 44 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 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.7 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 28 km W of this epicentre
- 6.4 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 46 km WSW of this epicentre
- 6.3 60 km SW of Cordova, Alaska · 48 km S of this epicentre
- 6.3 56 km WSW of Cordova, Alaska · 36 km SSW of this epicentre
- 6.0 Near Valdez, Alaska · 41 km NNE 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 60.6569, -146.5320. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chugach Census Area, AK | 26 km (16 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Chugach Census Area |
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.
- 1.5 10 km SSE of Valdez, Alaska
- 2.4 8 km SSE of Valdez, Alaska
- 2.3 25 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.9 39 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.6 16 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 2.3 40 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 29 km E of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.8 20 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 60 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.6 19 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 2.1 23 km SSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 19 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 17 km SW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.6 14 km SW of Valdez, Alaska
- 1.6 40 km SSW of Tatitlek, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.