QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Haines, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Haines in the 24 hours to 5:54 am AKST (14:54 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 60 km (37 mi) NW, at 3:19 am AKDT on 8 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Haines

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) west of Haines, AK, at 11:41 am AKDT on 21 October 2023 (19:41 UTC), 3.6 km deep.

USGS: Southeastern Alaska

11:41 am AKDT, Oct 21, 2023 · · 3.6 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Haines Borough 44 kmSkagway Municipality 64 kmHoonah-Angoon Census Area 97 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
11:41 am AKDT on 21 October 2023 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) west of Haines, AK · earthquakes near Haines
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
3.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Haines Borough, 44 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1102 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Haines, 48 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 4.4 on 2021-07-08 — about 11,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.9 41 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska · 18 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 27 km WSW of Covenant Life, Alaska · 13 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 63 km SW of Covenant Life, Alaska · 39 km SW 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 59.2481, -136.2953. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Haines Borough, AK 44 km (27 mi) ESE earthquakes near Haines Borough
Skagway Municipality, AK 64 km (40 mi) ENE earthquakes near Skagway Municipality
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK 97 km (60 mi) SSE earthquakes near Hoonah-Angoon Census Area

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 Southeastern Alaska
  2. 2.9 49 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  3. 2.7 50 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  4. 1.5 52 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  5. 2.2 54 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  6. 2.2 48 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  7. 1.7 51 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  8. 1.7 53 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  9. 1.6 51 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  10. 2.0 54 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  11. 2.2 54 km SW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  12. 1.6 51 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  13. 1.9 53 km SW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  14. 1.9 53 km SSW of Covenant Life, Alaska
  15. 1.6 35 km SSW of Covenant Life, 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.