QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8ml

Earthquake near Valdez, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Valdez in the 24 hours to 9:38 am AKST (18:38 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 3.8 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) west-southwest of Valdez, AK, at 5:06 am AKST on 17 January 2026 (14:06 UTC), 19 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 27 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska

5:06 am AKST, Jan 17, 2026 · · 19 km deep · released about 7.6 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Valdez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Chugach Census Area 73 kmAnchorage Municipality 117 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
5:06 am AKST on 17 January 2026 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) west-southwest of Valdez, AK · earthquakes near Valdez
Magnitude
M 3.8 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Chugach Census Area, 73 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 148 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 80 km (50 mi) from the epicentre. In Valdez, 48 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.

Likely felt in: Valdez 48 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 7.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 16× 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 since 2016 was M 5.3 on 2017-11-27 — about 180 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 9.2 The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake · 11 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 Prince William Sound, Alaska · 30 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.6 57 km ENE of Whittier, Alaska · 34 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.6 37 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 12 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 6.4 46 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska · 19 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 60.9460, -147.1540. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Chugach Census Area, AK 73 km (45 mi) SE earthquakes near Chugach Census Area
Anchorage Municipality, AK 117 km (73 mi) WNW earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 43 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  2. 1.6 53 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  3. 1.5 54 km WNW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  4. 1.5 66 km S of Glacier View, Alaska
  5. 1.9 52 km WSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  6. 1.9 35 km WNW of Valdez, Alaska
  7. 1.6 56 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  8. 1.7 27 km W of Valdez, Alaska
  9. 2.3 32 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  10. 1.7 43 km W of Tatitlek, Alaska
  11. 1.6 43 km NW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  12. 2.7 31 km NW of Valdez, Alaska
  13. 1.6 59 km S of Glacier View, Alaska
  14. 2.0 43 km WSW of Tatitlek, Alaska
  15. 1.8 17 km WSW of Tatitlek, 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.