Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change
M 1.5ml
Earthquake near Anchorage, AK
No earthquake was likely felt in Anchorage in the 24 hours to 11:18 am AKST (20:18 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 39 km (24 mi) SSW, at 4:48 pm AKDT on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 98 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Anchorage
This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) south of Anchorage, AK, at 5:57 am AKDT on 26 May 2021 (13:57 UTC), 32 km deep. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.
USGS: 17 km SW of Hope, Alaska
45 km (28 mi) S of Anchorage, AK
- When
- 5:57 am AKDT on 26 May 2021 ()
- Where
- 45 km (28 mi) south of Anchorage, AK · earthquakes near Anchorage
- Magnitude
- M 1.5 (ml)
- Depth
- 32 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Anchorage Municipality, 51 km NE
- Status
- Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1990 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Anchorage, AK
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Alerts are on for .
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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 Anchorage, 45 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2016-02-15 — about 11,000 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 33 km SW of this epicentre
- 5.7 13 km S of Girdwood, Alaska · 38 km E of this epicentre
- 5.6 17 km W of Whittier, Alaska · 49 km E of this epicentre
- 5.5 26 km SSW of Anchorage, Alaska · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
- 5.3 16 km WSW of Whittier, Alaska · 50 km E 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 60.8172, -149.8912. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 51 km (32 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
54 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.5 7 km SW of Hope, Alaska
- 1.6 5 km SSW of Anchorage, Alaska
- 1.7 25 km SW of Anchorage, Alaska
- 2.3 7 km WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
- 1.5 6 km NNE of Hope, Alaska
- 1.6 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
- 1.7 14 km E of Point Possession, Alaska
- 1.5 31 km NW of Cooper Landing, Alaska
- 1.7 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
- 2.0 19 km ESE of Funny River, Alaska
- 2.7 3 km W of Hope, Alaska
- 1.5 17 km WNW of Cooper Landing, Alaska
- 1.6 9 km SSW of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska
- 2.7 9 km SSW of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska
- 1.8 13 km W of Cooper Landing, 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.