QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Valdez, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Valdez in the 24 hours to 9:23 am AKST (18:23 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 85 km (53 mi) NNW, at 11:11 am AKDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 54 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Valdez

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) north of Valdez, AK, at 6:27 am AKDT on 5 September 2025 (14:27 UTC), 22 km deep. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 49 km N of Valdez, Alaska

6:27 am AKDT, Sep 5, 2025 · · 22 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

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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
6:27 am AKDT on 5 September 2025 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) north of Valdez, AK · earthquakes near Valdez
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Status
Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 434 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Valdez, 50 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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 4.3 on 2018-10-16 — about 1,400 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.5 48 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska · 45 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 49 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska · 49 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 48 km NNW of Valdez, Alaska · 14 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 9 km ESE of Eureka Roadhouse, Alaska · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 48 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska · 1 km NNW 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 61.5770, -146.4009. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 44 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska
  2. 1.9 9 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  3. 2.3 23 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  4. 2.4 49 km N of Valdez, Alaska
  5. 1.9 47 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska
  6. 2.3 34 km S of Tolsona, Alaska
  7. 2.0 42 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska
  8. 1.7 27 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  9. 2.0 44 km NNW of Valdez, Alaska
  10. 2.2 31 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  11. 1.5 36 km SSE of Nelchina, Alaska
  12. 2.0 28 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  13. 1.6 21 km N of Valdez, Alaska
  14. 2.5 27 km S of Nelchina, Alaska
  15. 1.8 46 km N of Valdez, 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.