QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Valdez, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Valdez in the 24 hours to 5:45 am AKST (14:45 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 85 km (53 mi) NNW, at 11:11 am AKDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 54 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Valdez

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) northwest of Valdez, AK, at 11:00 pm AKST on 26 December 2021 (08:00 UTC), 10 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 35 km NW of Valdez, Alaska

11:00 pm AKST, Dec 26, 2021 · · 10 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Valdez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Chugach Census Area 102 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
11:00 pm AKST on 26 December 2021 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) northwest of Valdez, AK · earthquakes near Valdez
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Chugach Census Area, 102 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1714 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Valdez, 36 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Valdez 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× 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 4.3 on 2018-10-16 — about 32 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. 6.6 37 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 43 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 37 km SSE of Glacier View, Alaska · 34 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 54 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 49 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 Near Valdez, Alaska · 50 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 42 km S of Glacier View, Alaska · 41 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 61.3476, -146.8395. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Chugach Census Area, AK 102 km (63 mi) SSE earthquakes near Chugach Census Area

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

55 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.7 49 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  2. 1.8 37 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  3. 3.6 Southern Alaska
  4. 1.5 34 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  5. 1.6 49 km N of Valdez, Alaska
  6. 2.2 25 km SE of Eureka Roadhouse, Alaska
  7. 1.6 44 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  8. 1.8 12 km SSW of Valdez, Alaska
  9. 1.6 41 km NNW of Valdez, Alaska
  10. 1.6 44 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska
  11. 1.8 43 km N of Valdez, Alaska
  12. 1.6 47 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  13. 1.7 35 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  14. 1.7 40 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  15. 1.6 27 km NW of Valdez, 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.