Reviewed by USGSAlaska25d ago
M2.6 earthquake 90 km SE of Akutan, Alaska
Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 16:04:23 UTC · 53.484°N, 164.950°W
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 90 km SE of Akutan, Alaska on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 16:04:23 UTC, at a depth of 29.7 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.6
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 30 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
75 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
30 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 14 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.2 on September 14, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.768 km SSE of Akutan, Alaska9d ago · 36 km W of this epicenter
- 2.598 km SE of Akutan, Alaska10d ago · 12 km E of this epicenter
- 2.698 km SE of Akutan, Alaska11d ago · 8 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.958 km SE of Akutan, Alaska11d ago · 39 km N of this epicenter
- 2.798 km SE of Akutan, Alaska11d ago · 16 km E of this epicenter
- 3.2122 km SE of Akutan, Alaska13d ago · 32 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.5119 km SSE of Akutan, Alaska16d ago · 37 km S of this epicenter
- 2.642 km SE of Akutan, Alaska17d ago · 48 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 579 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 · 140 km E of this epicenter
- 7.881 km E of Nikolski, AlaskaJuly 2, 1965 · 187 km W of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 292 km E of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 276 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 63 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.135 km SW of Nikolski, AlaskaMarch 11, 1957 · 297 km W of this epicenter
- 7.071 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 30, 1991 · 249 km NE 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 · 140 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 295 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 1965M6.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
2 Jul 1965 · 180 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1902M7.8
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
1 Jan 1902 · 209 km away
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 282 km away
- 1957M7.5
Aleutian Islands: Fox Islands
22 Mar 1957 · 169 km away · intensity V
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.