QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.1ml

Earthquake near Badger, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Badger in the 24 hours to 9:48 am AKST (18:48 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 258 km (160 mi) WSW, at 3:07 am AKDT on 15 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 107 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Badger

This page: a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) south of Badger, AK, at 2:12 pm AKDT on 5 November 2021 (22:12 UTC), 8.2 km deep. 179 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 31 km SW of Salcha, Alaska

2:12 pm AKDT, Nov 5, 2021 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 21 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Badger Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fairbanks North Star Borough 56 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
2:12 pm AKDT on 5 November 2021 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) south of Badger, AK · earthquakes near Badger
Magnitude
M 4.1 (ml)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
179 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Fairbanks North Star Borough, 56 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Atsaksovluk fault, under 1 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 1522 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. In Badger, 48 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Salcha 31 km, intensity III · Eielson Air Force Base 38 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.1 about 21 tons of TNT
  5. 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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 7.1 Central Alaska · 41 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 39 km SW of Salcha, Alaska · 11 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 15 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 36 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 10 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 39 km NNW 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 64.3663, -147.4416. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 56 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Fairbanks North Star Borough

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. 3.0 61 km SW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska
  2. 1.7 6 km SSW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  3. 2.9 61 km SW of Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska
  4. 2.0 34 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  5. 1.5 6 km SW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  6. 1.6 19 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  7. 1.6 52 km SW of Salcha, Alaska
  8. 1.9 28 km SW of Salcha, Alaska
  9. 2.7 7 km SW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  10. 2.6 20 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  11. 1.7 27 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  12. 1.6 27 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  13. 1.6 28 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  14. 1.5 26 km WSW of Salcha, Alaska
  15. 3.1 Central 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.