QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

61 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska

Yes. A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 61 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska, at 9:31 pm AKDT on 20 March 2026 (05:31 UTC), 17 km deep.

· 17 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
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 237 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 92 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska · 31 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 37 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska · 25 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 54 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska · 10 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 33 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska · 28 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 43 km WSW of Chenega, Alaska · 33 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 59.5910, -148.9100. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 34 km ESE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  2. 2.0 33 km E of Lowell Point, Alaska
  3. 2.4 21 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  4. 2.3 12 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  5. 1.7 15 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  6. 1.9 42 km SW of Chenega, Alaska
  7. 2.3 38 km WSW of Chenega, Alaska
  8. 2.0 39 km WSW of Chenega, Alaska
  9. 1.8 38 km WSW of Chenega, Alaska
  10. 1.8 20 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  11. 1.6 25 km ESE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  12. 1.9 27 km SSE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  13. 2.5 16 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  14. 2.1 16 km SE of Lowell Point, Alaska
  15. 1.8 16 km SE of Lowell Point, 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.