Reviewed by USGSAlaska2y ago
M2.7 earthquake 95 km S of False Pass, Alaska
Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 09:10:43 UTC · 53.994°N, 163.342°W
A magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck 95 km S of False Pass, Alaska on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 09:10:43 UTC, at a depth of 31.9 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.7
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 32 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 kg of TNT
That is about 1/88,990 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2,818 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
87 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
32 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 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M2.7 on March 5, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.6111 km SSE of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 39 km E of this epicenter
- 2.776 km SSE of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 41 km NE of this epicenter
- 2.5102 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 16 km SW of this epicenter
- 2.789 km SSE of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 25 km NE of this epicenter
- 2.5102 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 7 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 456 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.6The 1946 Unimak Island, Alaska EarthquakeApril 1, 1946 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.62020 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeOctober 19, 2020 · 250 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaMay 31, 1917 · 250 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 174 km E of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 156 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 161 km W of this epicenter
- 7.071 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 30, 1991 · 129 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0203 km SSE of Unalaska, AlaskaAugust 22, 1940 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 169 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1946M8.6
Unimak Island
1 Apr 1946 · 65 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 176 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 1965M6.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
2 Jul 1965 · 298 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 188 km away
tsunami
- 2020M7.6
Alaska
19 Oct 2020 · 250 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 162 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.