QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3mb

30 km SSW of White Mountain, Alaska

Yes. A magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 30 km SSW of White Mountain, Alaska at 07:23 UTC on 2023-06-16, 15 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

· 15 km deep · released about 43 tons of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Nome Census Area 48 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
Magnitude
M 4.3 (mb)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
13 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
Nome Census Area, 48 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1181 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 120 km (75 mi) from the epicentre. 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 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 43 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 89× 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. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

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 64.4223, -163.6323. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Nome Census Area, AK 48 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Nome Census Area

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 13 km NNE of White Mountain, Alaska
  2. 1.8 12 km NNE of White Mountain, Alaska
  3. 2.1 19 km W of White Mountain, Alaska
  4. 2.2 17 km WSW of White Mountain, Alaska
  5. 1.6 29 km WSW of Golovin, Alaska
  6. 2.0 14 km S of White Mountain, Alaska
  7. 2.6 30 km SE of Solomon, Alaska
  8. 3.2 12 km SSW of White Mountain, Alaska
  9. 1.9 13 km NNE of White Mountain, Alaska
  10. 2.2 19 km WSW of Golovin, Alaska
  11. 1.9 14 km SW of Golovin, Alaska
  12. 2.2 13 km NNE of White Mountain, Alaska
  13. 2.0 8 km E of White Mountain, Alaska
  14. 2.0 13 km NNE of White Mountain, Alaska
  15. 2.0 31 km SSW of White Mountain, 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.