QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Ester, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ester in the 24 hours to 8:16 am AKST (17:16 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 6 km (4 mi) SSW, at 9:07 pm AKST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ester

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) southwest of Ester, AK, at 5:04 am AKDT on 2 August 2022 (13:04 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 13 km E of Nenana, Alaska

5:04 am AKDT, Aug 2, 2022 · · 14 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ester Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fairbanks North Star Borough 111 kmDenali Borough 116 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
5:04 am AKDT on 2 August 2022 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) southwest of Ester, AK · earthquakes near Ester
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Fairbanks North Star Borough, 111 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1493 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Ester, 48 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 4.5 on 2019-04-11 — about 4,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 64.5842, -148.8208. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 111 km (69 mi) E earthquakes near Fairbanks North Star Borough
Denali Borough, AK 116 km (72 mi) SSW earthquakes near Denali Borough

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 18 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  2. 1.5 13 km NW of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  3. 1.5 22 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  4. 1.6 9 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  5. 1.6 8 km SE of Nenana, Alaska
  6. 1.6 Central Alaska
  7. 1.6 17 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  8. 1.5 Central Alaska
  9. 2.1 40 km ESE of Nenana, Alaska
  10. 2.0 40 km ESE of Nenana, Alaska
  11. 2.1 27 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  12. 1.8 19 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  13. 1.8 27 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  14. 1.5 24 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  15. 1.7 13 km WSW of Ester, 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.