Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.1ml
43 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
Yes. A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded 43 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska, at 9:26 am AKDT on 27 April 2021 (17:26 UTC), 5.5 km deep. 96 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
- When
- Magnitude
- M 4.1 (ml)
- Depth
- 5.5 km below the surface
- Felt
- 96 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Measured shaking
- intensity V (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Tsunami
- USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
- Nearest
- Chugach Census Area, 82 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1955 days ago
This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 104 km (65 mi) from the epicentre. 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 21 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 7,900× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.1 about 21 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 45× 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.3 on 2017-11-27 — about 63 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 7.0 52 km NE of Chenega, Alaska · 23 km ESE of this epicentre
- 6.7 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 46 km NE of this epicentre
- 6.4 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 24 km E of this epicentre
- 5.8 29 km NW of Chenega, Alaska · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
- 5.7 Southern Alaska · 42 km S 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 60.4204, -147.6998. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chugach Census Area, AK | 82 km (51 mi) | E | earthquakes near Chugach Census Area |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 120 km (75 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.5 9 km E of Chenega, Alaska
- 2.2 57 km NE of Chenega, Alaska
- 2.7 43 km W of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 37 km NNW of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.6 55 km NE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.7 39 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.6 54 km WSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
- 1.5 42 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.6 56 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.5 50 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.6 29 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.5 57 km NE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.5 31 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 2.0 38 km NNE of Chenega, Alaska
- 1.7 33 km WSW 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.