Reviewed by USGSAlaska2mo ago
M3.2 earthquake 91 km SE of False Pass, Alaska
Saturday, July 18, 2026, 22:39:46 UTC · 54.193°N, 162.577°W
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 91 km SE of False Pass, Alaska on Saturday, July 18, 2026, 22:39:46 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.2
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- III
- 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
951 kg of TNT
That is about 1/15,825 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 501 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
90 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
35 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M2.5 on August 13, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 423 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 · 80 km S of this epicenter
- 7.82020 Perryville, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 22, 2020 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 7.62020 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeOctober 19, 2020 · 196 km E of this epicenter
- 7.454 km SE of Sand Point, AlaskaMay 31, 1917 · 195 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.32025 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2025 · 143 km E of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 120 km E of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 102 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 214 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 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 · 80 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 122 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 2020M7.8
Alaska
22 Jul 2020 · 274 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 136 km away
tsunami
- 2020M7.6
Alaska
19 Oct 2020 · 196 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 108 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.