Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.4ml
Earthquake near Ester, AK
No earthquake was likely felt in Ester in the 24 hours to 11:48 am AKST (20:48 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 2.4 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) west of Ester, AK, at 2:58 am AKDT on 18 September 2022 (10:58 UTC), 16 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 29 km W of Ester, Alaska
- When
- 2:58 am AKDT on 18 September 2022 ()
- Where
- 29 km (18 mi) west of Ester, AK · earthquakes near Ester
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (ml)
- Depth
- 16 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Fairbanks North Star Borough, 103 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1448 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Ester, AK
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Ester, 29 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 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.0 36 km E of Minto, Alaska · 35 km N of this epicentre
- 5.7 15 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 50 km ESE of this epicentre
- 5.5 3 km ESE of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 47 km E of this epicentre
- 5.3 6 km NW of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 41 km ENE of this epicentre
- 5.2 14 km E of Minto, Alaska · 38 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 64.8593, -148.6320. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 103 km (64 mi) | E | 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.
- 1.7 29 km SE of Minto, Alaska
- 2.7 29 km SE of Minto, Alaska
- 2.1 32 km E of Minto, Alaska
- 1.6 26 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.6 27 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.6 22 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.5 25 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.6 26 km N of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 2.1 31 km ESE of Minto, Alaska
- 2.3 34 km E of Minto, Alaska
- 1.5 31 km W of Ester, Alaska
- 2.3 29 km WNW of Ester, Alaska
- 1.6 18 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.5 22 km NNE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
- 1.6 9 km N of Four Mile Road, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.