QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Anchorage, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Anchorage in the 24 hours to 8:23 am AKST (17:23 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) northwest of Anchorage, AK, at 9:07 am AKDT on 5 May 2022 (17:07 UTC), 7.1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14 km S of Susitna, Alaska

39 km (24 mi) NW of Anchorage, AK

9:07 am AKDT, May 5, 2022 · · 7.1 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Anchorage Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 70 kmMatanuska-Susitna Borough 108 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
9:07 am AKDT on 5 May 2022 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) northwest of Anchorage, AK · earthquakes near Anchorage
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
7.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 70 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Castle Mountain fault, 5 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 1596 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Anchorage, 39 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 7.1 on 2018-11-30 — about 32,000,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 26 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 49 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 39 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 27 km N of Beluga, Alaska · 29 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 20 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska · 25 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 11 km NW of Big Lake, Alaska · 27 km NE 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 61.4174, -150.4946. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 70 km (44 mi) ESE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK 108 km (67 mi) NNE earthquakes near Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 153 km (95 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

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

  1. 1.7 2 km SW of Willow, Alaska
  2. 3.3 35 km NNW of Susitna, Alaska
  3. 1.5 17 km NNW of Susitna, Alaska
  4. 1.7 24 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
  5. 2.4 19 km WNW of Willow, Alaska
  6. 1.5 22 km E of Beluga, Alaska
  7. 1.7 26 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
  8. 1.7 5 km WNW of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  9. 1.6 9 km W of Susitna, Alaska
  10. 1.5 20 km WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
  11. 1.5 26 km WSW of Susitna, Alaska
  12. 1.7 5 km W of Point MacKenzie, Alaska
  13. 1.5 28 km WNW of Susitna, Alaska
  14. 1.7 6 km SSW of Willow, Alaska
  15. 1.5 20 km NNE 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.