QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near North Pole, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in North Pole in the 24 hours to 11:09 pm AKST (08:09 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 265 km (165 mi) W, at 3:07 am AKDT on 15 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 107 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near North Pole

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) south-southwest of North Pole, AK, at 7:53 pm AKDT on 27 October 2024 (03:53 UTC), 25 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SSW of North Pole, Alaska

7:53 pm AKDT, Oct 27, 2024 · · 25 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near North Pole Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fairbanks North Star Borough 44 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
7:53 pm AKDT on 27 October 2024 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) south-southwest of North Pole, AK · earthquakes near North Pole
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Fairbanks North Star Borough, 44 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Atsaksovluk fault, 12 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 667 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In North Pole, 6 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Badger, Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, College, Farmers Loop.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 5.3 on 2024-01-19 — about 11,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 Central Alaska · 30 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 39 km SW of Salcha, Alaska · 48 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 15 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 13 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 3 km ESE of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 24 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 10 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 9 km W 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 64.7058, -147.4121. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 44 km (27 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. 1.5 8 km NE of Fox, Alaska
  2. 2.1 10 km ENE of Moose Creek, Alaska
  3. 2.9 10 km ENE of Moose Creek, Alaska
  4. 1.8 2 km SE of Salcha, Alaska
  5. 1.5 3 km S of Salcha, Alaska
  6. 2.4 2 km W of South Van Horn, Alaska
  7. 1.6 3 km S of Salcha, Alaska
  8. 1.5 13 km WNW of Two Rivers, Alaska
  9. 1.9 2 km NNW of Farmers Loop, Alaska
  10. 1.5 2 km S of Salcha, Alaska
  11. 1.6 4 km SSW of Salcha, Alaska
  12. 1.9 3 km S of Salcha, Alaska
  13. 1.6 11 km ENE of Fox, Alaska
  14. 2.7 3 km S of Salcha, Alaska
  15. 1.6 3 km S of Salcha, 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.