Reviewed by USGSAlaska62y ago
M5.5 earthquake 59 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska
Wednesday, July 14, 1965, 17:55:56 UTC · 52.429°N, 168.613°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 59 km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska on Wednesday, July 14, 1965, 17:55:56 UTC, at a depth of 31.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on July 2, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 32 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/5 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
60 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
32 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 148 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8234 km SSW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 7, 1929 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.881 km E of Nikolski, AlaskaJuly 2, 1965 · 91 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4133 km WNW of Nikolski, AlaskaApril 18, 1916 · 178 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 242 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.135 km SW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 11, 1957 · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0203 km SSE of Unalaska, AlaskaAugust 22, 1940 · 214 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1901M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
31 Dec 1901 · 198 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1965M6.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
2 Jul 1965 · 98 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M7.9
Alaska Peninsula
31 May 1917 · 265 km away · intensity V
- 1902M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
1 Jan 1902 · 76 km away
- 1907M7.8
Aleutian Islands
2 Sep 1907 · 78 km away
- 1929M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
7 Mar 1929 · 185 km away · intensity V
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.