Reviewed by USGSAlaska2y ago
M2.6 earthquake 103 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska
Friday, November 24, 2023, 06:10:35 UTC · 53.803°N, 164.298°W
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 103 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska on Friday, November 24, 2023, 06:10:35 UTC, at a depth of 18.6 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.6
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 19 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
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
92 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
19 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 8 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.0 on December 21, 2023. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.8107 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 45 km E of this epicenter
- 4.089 km SSW of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 48 km NE of this epicenter
- 2.6128 km SE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 36 km S of this epicenter
- 2.6121 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 18 km E of this epicenter
- 2.8115 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 12 km SE of this epicenter
- 3.287 km SE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 30 km SW of this epicenter
- 2.873 km E of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 38 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.486 km SE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 32 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 489 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 · 103 km E of this epicenter
- 7.881 km E of Nikolski, AlaskaJuly 2, 1965 · 239 km W of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 240 km E of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 222 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 97 km W of this epicenter
- 7.071 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 30, 1991 · 195 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0203 km SSE of Unalaska, AlaskaAugust 22, 1940 · 200 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 · 103 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 242 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 1965M6.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
2 Jul 1965 · 232 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 251 km away
tsunami
- 1902M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
1 Jan 1902 · 265 km away
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 228 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.