QuakeScout
Magnitude2.8

Reviewed by USGSAlaska10y ago

M2.8 earthquake 83 km NNE of Atka, Alaska

Monday, February 1, 2016, 12:24:54 UTC · 52.827°N, 173.538°W

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 83 km NNE of Atka, Alaska on Monday, February 1, 2016, 12:24:54 UTC, at a depth of 201.2 km (intermediate).

Magnitude
2.8
Minor · ml
Depth
201 km
Intermediate
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

239 kg of TNT

That is about 1/63,000 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1,995 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

205 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: intermediate

201 km

Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.

Did You Feel It?

Where it was felt

No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 50 km

USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.0 on February 9, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M2.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.085 km NE of Atka, Alaska10y ago · 25 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 871 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.61957 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMarch 9, 1957 · 205 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 8.01986 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMay 7, 1986 · 168 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 7.65 km WNW of Adak, AlaskaFebruary 14, 1905 · 239 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.4133 km WNW of Nikolski, AlaskaApril 18, 1916 · 203 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.346 km SSW of Adak, AlaskaJune 10, 1996 · 271 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.3Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaJune 24, 2011 · 144 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.175 km S of Adak, AlaskaMarch 14, 1957 · 284 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 7.160 km SW of Adak, AlaskaMarch 12, 1957 · 294 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1957M8.6

    Alaska

    9 Mar 1957 · 205 km away

    2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1986M8.0

    Aleutian Islands: Adak

    7 May 1986 · 168 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1901M7.8

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    31 Dec 1901 · 230 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1907M7.8

    Aleutian Islands

    2 Sep 1907 · 258 km away

  5. 1916M7.5

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    18 Apr 1916 · 242 km away

  6. 1996M7.3

    Andreanof Islands

    10 Jun 1996 · 271 km away

    tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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