Reviewed by USGSAlaska89y ago
M6.0 earthquake 168 km SE of Chignik, Alaska
Wednesday, November 16, 1938, 05:36:14 UTC · 55.249°N, 156.473°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 168 km SE of Chignik, Alaska on Wednesday, November 16, 1938, 05:36:14 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on November 11, 1938.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
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
81 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
15 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 29 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 · 109 km W of this epicenter
- 7.454 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaMay 31, 1917 · 219 km W of this epicenter
- 7.14 km ENE of Karluk, AlaskaNovember 7, 1912 · 290 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0113 km ESE of Chignik, AlaskaMay 4, 1923 · 68 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6128 km SE of Chignik, AlaskaJuly 28, 1934 · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 6.688 km SSE of Old Harbor, AlaskaDecember 21, 1917 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.672 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaOctober 16, 1932 · 202 km W of this epicenter
- 6.6104 km SSE of Perryville, AlaskaNovember 11, 1938 · 140 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:
- 1900M8.3
Kodiak Island
9 Oct 1900 · 276 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1788M8.0
Unga Island
21 Jul 1788 · 290 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1938M8.2
Alaska
10 Nov 1938 · 123 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 289 km away
tsunami
- 1906M7.6
Aleutian Islands
23 Dec 1906 · 239 km away
- 1912M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
7 Nov 1912 · 266 km away · intensity V
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.