Reviewed by USGSAlaska2y ago
M4.6 earthquake 151 km S of False Pass, Alaska
Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 15:25:07 UTC · 53.496°N, 163.239°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 151 km S of False Pass, Alaska on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 15:25:07 UTC, at a depth of 8.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on December 25, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mwr
- Depth
- 9 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- II
- Weak (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
34 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
9 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 15 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on March 22, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.8143 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 37 km W of this epicenter
- 2.6151 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 33 km W of this epicenter
- 3.2154 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 26 km W of this epicenter
- 2.6162 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 30 km SW of this epicenter
- 2.7194 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 44 km S of this epicenter
- 4.0159 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 33 km W of this epicenter
- 3.6159 km ESE of Akutan, Alaska2y ago · 29 km W of this epicenter
- 3.7153 km S of False Pass, Alaska2y ago · 30 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 455 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 · 27 km E of this epicenter
- 7.881 km E of Nikolski, AlaskaJuly 2, 1965 · 299 km W of this epicenter
- 7.62020 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeOctober 19, 2020 · 266 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.454 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaMay 31, 1917 · 274 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 190 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 182 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 170 km W 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 · 27 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 194 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 1965M6.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
2 Jul 1965 · 291 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 222 km away
tsunami
- 2020M7.6
Alaska
19 Oct 2020 · 266 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 184 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.