QuakeScout
Magnitude2.6

Reviewed by USGSAlaska10y ago

M2.6 earthquake 117 km E of Atka, Alaska

Saturday, February 13, 2016, 07:38:02 UTC · 52.364°N, 172.508°W

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 117 km E of Atka, Alaska on Saturday, February 13, 2016, 07:38:02 UTC, at a depth of 43.6 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.6
Minor · ml
Depth
44 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Max intensity I
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

141 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

44 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.7 on February 26, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M41h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M2.6
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.794 km E of Atka, Alaska10y ago · 34 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 2.6118 km E of Atka, Alaska10y ago · 24 km S of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 918 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.61957 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMarch 9, 1957 · 234 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 8.01986 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMay 7, 1986 · 182 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 7.8234 km SSW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 7, 1929 · 248 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 7.65 km WNW of Adak, AlaskaFebruary 14, 1905 · 291 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.4133 km WNW of Nikolski, AlaskaApril 18, 1916 · 172 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.3Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaJune 24, 2011 · 58 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.158 km WNW of Atka, AlaskaFebruary 28, 1970 · 164 km W 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:

  1. 1957M8.6

    Alaska

    9 Mar 1957 · 234 km away

    2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1986M8.0

    Aleutian Islands: Adak

    7 May 1986 · 182 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1901M7.8

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    31 Dec 1901 · 144 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1907M7.8

    Aleutian Islands

    2 Sep 1907 · 190 km away

  5. 1929M7.8

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    7 Mar 1929 · 230 km away · intensity V

    tsunami

  6. 1916M7.5

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    18 Apr 1916 · 198 km away

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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