Reviewed by USGSAlaska11y ago
M5.7 earthquake 180 km W of Adak, Alaska
Monday, October 5, 2015, 17:35:54 UTC · 51.949°N, 179.256°W
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 180 km W of Adak, Alaska on Monday, October 5, 2015, 17:35:54 UTC, at a depth of 90.8 km (intermediate). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on August 15, 2015.
Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 91 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- Flag
- Check tsunami.gov
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
160 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
91 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M2.7 on October 9, 2015. 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 1,097 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.71965 Western Aleutian Islands (Hawadax/Rat Islands) EarthquakeFebruary 4, 1965 · 160 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.61957 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMarch 9, 1957 · 255 km E of this epicenter
- 8.31906 Western Aleutian Islands (Hawadax/Rat Islands) EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 176 km W of this epicenter
- 7.977 km WSW of Adak, AlaskaJune 10, 1996 · 120 km E of this epicenter
- 7.9Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaJune 23, 2014 · 138 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaNovember 17, 2003 · 170 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaMarch 30, 1965 · 272 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.65 km WNW of Adak, AlaskaFebruary 14, 1905 · 175 km E 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, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1957M8.6
Alaska
9 Mar 1957 · 255 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1965M8.7
Aleutian Islands: Rat Islands
4 Feb 1965 · 160 km away · intensity VI
Under $1 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.3
Aleutian Islands: Rat Islands
17 Aug 1906 · 176 km away
- 1905M7.9
Andreanof Islands
14 Feb 1905 · 144 km away
- 1996M7.9
Andreanof Islands
10 Jun 1996 · 120 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
- 2014M7.9
Aleutian Islands
23 Jun 2014 · 138 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.