QuakeScout
Magnitude2.5

Reviewed by USGSAlaska10y ago

M2.5 earthquake 137 km SE of Atka, Alaska

Sunday, January 24, 2016, 00:19:25 UTC · 51.447°N, 172.608°W

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 137 km SE of Atka, Alaska on Sunday, January 24, 2016, 00:19:25 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.5
Minor · ml
Depth
33 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

85 kg of TNT

That is about 1/177,558 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 5,623 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

43 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

33 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 M2.8 on February 15, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M2.5
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.8137 km ESE of Atka, Alaska10y ago · 41 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 2.8106 km SE of Atka, Alaska10y ago · 39 km W of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 931 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 · 209 km W of this epicenter
  2. 8.01986 Atka, Alaska EarthquakeMay 7, 1986 · 150 km W of this epicenter
  3. 7.8234 km SSW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 7, 1929 · 206 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.65 km WNW of Adak, AlaskaFebruary 14, 1905 · 287 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.4133 km WNW of Nikolski, AlaskaApril 18, 1916 · 258 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.346 km SSW of Adak, AlaskaJune 10, 1996 · 294 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.3Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AlaskaJune 24, 2011 · 86 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 7.175 km S of Adak, AlaskaMarch 14, 1957 · 288 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 · 209 km away

    2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1986M8.0

    Aleutian Islands: Adak

    7 May 1986 · 150 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1901M7.8

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    31 Dec 1901 · 110 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1907M7.8

    Aleutian Islands

    2 Sep 1907 · 234 km away

  5. 1929M7.8

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    7 Mar 1929 · 188 km away · intensity V

    tsunami

  6. 1916M7.5

    Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands

    18 Apr 1916 · 272 km away

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

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