QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.4mwr

Earthquake near Valdez, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Valdez in the 24 hours to 6:01 am AKST (15:01 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 4.4 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) southwest of Valdez, AK, at 2:56 am AKDT on 9 July 2022 (10:56 UTC), 24 km deep. 63 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km W of Tatitlek, Alaska

2:56 am AKDT, Jul 9, 2022 · · 24 km deep · released about 60 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Valdez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Chugach Census Area 54 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
2:56 am AKDT on 9 July 2022 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) southwest of Valdez, AK · earthquakes near Valdez
Magnitude
M 4.4 (mwr)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
63 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
Chugach Census Area, 54 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1511 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 128 km (80 mi) from the epicentre. In Valdez, 41 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: Valdez 41 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,800× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.4 about 60 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 130× 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. The previous largest was M 4.1 on 2017-06-22.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 9.2 The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake · 27 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 23 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.6 37 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 31 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 46 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 38 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 54 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 47 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 60.8570, -146.8455. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Chugach Census Area, AK 54 km (33 mi) SE earthquakes near Chugach Census Area

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. 1.5 39 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  2. 1.5 46 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  3. 2.1 29 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  4. 2.5 35 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  5. 2.3 29 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  6. 2.4 29 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  7. 2.6 22 km S of Tatitlek, Alaska
  8. 1.5 11 km SSE of Tatitlek, Alaska
  9. 1.5 15 km NNE of Tatitlek, Alaska
  10. 1.6 8 km SSE of Tatitlek, Alaska
  11. 1.5 Southern Alaska
  12. 1.6 48 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  13. 1.5 30 km W of Valdez, Alaska
  14. 2.1 14 km WSW of Valdez, Alaska
  15. 1.5 21 km NW 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.