Reviewed by USGSAlaska70y ago
M6.0 earthquake 59 km SE of Nikolski, Alaska
Friday, March 29, 1957, 22:49:56 UTC · 52.559°N, 168.251°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 59 km SE of Nikolski, Alaska on Friday, March 29, 1957, 22:49:56 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on March 29, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 25 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
14 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 30 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
64 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
25 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on April 17, 1957. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 92 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 · 212 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.4133 km WNW of Nikolski, AlaskaApril 18, 1916 · 189 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 214 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.135 km SW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 11, 1957 · 65 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0203 km SSE of Unalaska, AlaskaAugust 22, 1940 · 192 km E of this epicenter
- 6.980 km SW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 9, 1957 · 91 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 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 · 226 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M7.9
Alaska Peninsula
31 May 1917 · 255 km away · intensity V
- 1902M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
1 Jan 1902 · 54 km away
- 1907M7.8
Aleutian Islands
2 Sep 1907 · 100 km away
- 1929M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
7 Mar 1929 · 211 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1916M7.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
18 Apr 1916 · 143 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.