QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.5mwr

Earthquake near Sterling, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Sterling in the 24 hours to 6:19 am AKST (15:19 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (13 mi) NNE, at 9:11 pm AKST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Sterling

This page: a magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Sterling, AK, at 12:03 am AKDT on 29 April 2025 (08:03 UTC), 42 km deep. 1,891 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 29 km SW of Hope, Alaska

54 km (34 mi) S of Anchorage, AK

12:03 am AKDT, Apr 29, 2025 · · 42 km deep · released about 85 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Sterling Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 63 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
12:03 am AKDT on 29 April 2025 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Sterling, AK · earthquakes near Sterling
Magnitude
M 4.5 (mwr)
Depth
42 km below the surface
Felt
1,891 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 63 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 490 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 133 km (83 mi) from the epicentre. In Sterling, 45 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Sterling 45 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.5 about 85 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 180× 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. The previous largest was M 4.2 on 2016-02-15.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 21 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 13 km S of Girdwood, Alaska · 47 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 26 km SSW of Anchorage, Alaska · 30 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km E of Point Possession, Alaska · 29 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 16 km WNW of Hope, Alaska · 28 km NNE 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 60.7376, -150.0416. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 63 km (39 mi) NE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 23 km SSE of Point Possession, Alaska
  2. 1.9 24 km E of Point Possession, Alaska
  3. 2.9 27 km ENE of Point Possession, Alaska
  4. 1.8 25 km E of Point Possession, Alaska
  5. 1.7 16 km NE of Sterling, Alaska
  6. 1.5 32 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  7. 1.8 18 km W of Cooper Landing, Alaska
  8. 1.6 21 km WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
  9. 1.5 25 km NE of Point Possession, Alaska
  10. 3.4 17 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  11. 1.5 13 km SW of Anchorage, Alaska
  12. 1.6 14 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  13. 1.6 15 km WNW of Hope, Alaska
  14. 2.0 24 km SW of Hope, Alaska
  15. 1.8 24 km W of Hope, 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.