QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Nikiski, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Nikiski in the 24 hours to 5:17 am AKST (14:17 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 58 km (36 mi) SSE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Nikiski

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) north-northeast of Nikiski, AK, at 3:19 am AKST on 31 January 2021 (12:19 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 6 km ESE of Tyonek, Alaska

63 km (39 mi) WSW of Anchorage, AK

3:19 am AKST, Jan 31, 2021 · · 10 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Nikiski Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 94 kmKenai Peninsula Borough 104 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
3:19 am AKST on 31 January 2021 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) north-northeast of Nikiski, AK · earthquakes near Nikiski
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 94 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Granite Point anticline (Cook Inlet folds), 13 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2096 days ago

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 1 km (1 mi) from the epicentre. In Nikiski, 42 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.5 on 2018-10-15 — about 32,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 7 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 14 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 42 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 17 km S of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 Southern Alaska · 40 km WNW 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 61.0493, -151.0197. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 94 km (59 mi) E earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 104 km (65 mi) SW 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. 1.7 12 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
  2. 2.4 24 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
  3. 1.6 14 km SW of Susitna, Alaska
  4. 1.9 14 km WNW of Point Possession, Alaska
  5. 1.9 23 km WNW of Tyonek, Alaska
  6. 1.6 9 km NNW of Point Possession, Alaska
  7. 1.7 14 km NNW of Point Possession, Alaska
  8. 2.2 17 km W of Tyonek, Alaska
  9. 1.7 15 km NW of Nikiski, Alaska
  10. 1.8 28 km SW of Susitna, Alaska
  11. 1.7 19 km W of Tyonek, Alaska
  12. 2.1 28 km SW of Susitna, Alaska
  13. 1.5 Southern Alaska
  14. 2.1 18 km E of Beluga, Alaska
  15. 2.5 13 km W of Point Possession, 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.