QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Ester, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Ester in the 24 hours to 1:51 pm AKST (22:51 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 6 km (4 mi) SSW, at 9:07 pm AKST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ester

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) south-southwest of Ester, AK, at 11:50 pm AKDT on 3 June 2025 (07:50 UTC), 8.7 km deep. 8 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 24 km SSW of Ester, Alaska

11:50 pm AKDT, Jun 3, 2025 · · 8.7 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fairbanks North Star Borough 80 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
11:50 pm AKDT on 3 June 2025 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) south-southwest of Ester, AK · earthquakes near Ester
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
8.7 km below the surface
Felt
8 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Fairbanks North Star Borough, 80 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 450 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Ester, 24 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: College.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 2022-12-07 — about 710 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.7 15 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 24 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 3 km ESE of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 39 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 10 km SSW of Badger, Alaska · 28 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 6 km NW of Farmers Loop, Alaska · 38 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 5 km NNW of Badger, Alaska · 35 km NE 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 64.6404, -148.1707. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 80 km (50 mi) E earthquakes near Fairbanks North Star Borough
Denali Borough, AK 139 km (87 mi) SW earthquakes near Denali Borough

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 14 km SSW of Ester, Alaska
  2. 1.6 9 km SSW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  3. 1.5 5 km WNW of Farmers Loop, Alaska
  4. 1.6 28 km W of Ester, Alaska
  5. 1.6 18 km NW of Fox, Alaska
  6. 1.7 2 km SE of South Van Horn, Alaska
  7. 1.7 23 km ENE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  8. 1.9 21 km SSW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  9. 1.8 4 km SW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  10. 1.5 44 km E of Clear, Alaska
  11. 1.6 23 km ENE of Four Mile Road, Alaska
  12. 1.5 43 km SSW of South Van Horn, Alaska
  13. 1.6 26 km S of Ester, Alaska
  14. 2.1 24 km S of Ester, Alaska
  15. 1.7 49 km E of Clear, 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.