Reviewed by USGSAlaska4y ago
M2.6 earthquake 117 km E of Chignik, Alaska
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 06:15:23 UTC · 56.126°N, 156.527°W
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 117 km E of Chignik, Alaska on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 06:15:23 UTC, at a depth of 57.8 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.6
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 58 km
- Shallow
- 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
120 kg of TNT
That is about 1/125,702 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3,981 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
167 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: shallow
58 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 15 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.5 on November 4, 2021. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.799 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 26 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.0117 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 8 km N of this epicenter
- 2.9118 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 9 km N of this epicenter
- 2.5112 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 25 km N of this epicenter
- 2.6112 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 12 km N of this epicenter
- 2.5114 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 21 km N of this epicenter
- 2.8114 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 26 km N of this epicenter
- 2.6113 km E of Chignik, Alaska4y ago · 11 km N of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 419 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21938 Semidi Islands, Alaska EarthquakeNovember 10, 1938 · 148 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.22021 Chignik, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 29, 2021 · 120 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.82020 Perryville, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 22, 2020 · 175 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.62020 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeOctober 19, 2020 · 259 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.454 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaMay 31, 1917 · 246 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.14 km ENE of Karluk, AlaskaNovember 7, 1912 · 209 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0113 km ESE of Chignik, AlaskaMay 4, 1923 · 35 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1900M8.3
Kodiak Island
9 Oct 1900 · 215 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1788M8.0
Unga Island
21 Jul 1788 · 237 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2020M7.8
Alaska
22 Jul 2020 · 175 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1970M6.0
Andreanof Islands
11 Mar 1970 · 221 km away · intensity V
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1792
Kodiak Island
1792 · 294 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1938M8.2
Alaska
10 Nov 1938 · 136 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.