Earthquake near Kotzebue, AK

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 31 km (20 mi) W of Kotzebue, AK, at 12:15 pm AKDT on 28 May 2025 (20:15 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 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 66.8545, -163.3099. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Aftershocks so far

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

1. 1.7 34 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 21:07 UTC
2. 2.3 32 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 22:24 UTC
3. 1.7 28 km WSW of Kotzebue, Alaska 20:15 UTC
4. 1.7 32 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 17:06 UTC
5. 2.4 41 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 23:26 UTC
6. 1.8 33 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 21:54 UTC
7. 1.7 34 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 19:26 UTC
8. 3.2 34 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 15:32 UTC
9. 2.1 29 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 12:36 UTC
10. 2.7 36 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 21:37 UTC
11. 2.8 36 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 21:20 UTC
12. 2.8 38 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 03:10 UTC
13. 2.8 50 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 05:13 UTC
14. 3.3 42 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska 06:26 UTC
15. 2.1 39 km SSW of Kotzebue, Alaska 07:10 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 02:50 UTC. 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.