Reviewed by USGSAlaska6d ago
M5.0 earthquake 244 km SSE of False Pass, Alaska
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 21:06:20 UTC · 52.732°N, 162.484°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 244 km SSE of False Pass, Alaska on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 21:06:20 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on July 14, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
64 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
10 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 403 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 · 88 km N of this epicenter
- 7.62020 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeOctober 19, 2020 · 281 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.32025 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2025 · 243 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.22023 Sand Point, Alaska EarthquakeJuly 16, 2023 · 217 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.190 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 14, 1948 · 225 km N of this epicenter
- 7.139 km S of Akutan, AlaskaMarch 22, 1957 · 248 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.071 km SE of King Cove, AlaskaMay 30, 1991 · 212 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 88 km away · intensity VI
168 deaths$26 million damagetsunami
- 2023M7.2
Alaska Peninsula
16 Jul 2023 · 223 km away · intensity VI
1 deathtsunami
- 1788M8.0
Alaska Peninsula
6 Aug 1788 · 270 km away
tsunami
- 2020M7.6
Alaska
19 Oct 2020 · 281 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1948M7.5
Alaska Peninsula
14 May 1948 · 220 km away
- 2025M7.3
Alaska
16 Jul 2025 · 242 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.