M2.6 Earthquake 16 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska — October 15, 2020
2020-10-15 16:41:22 UTC (2020-10-15) · approx. 6:41 AM UTC-10 local
Felt by 14 people across nearby locations.
On October 15, 2020 at 16:41 UTC, a magnitude 2.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 16 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, at a depth of 33.4 km and coordinates 61.1872°, -149.3502°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 37 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Alaska, a region characterized by Pacific Plate subduction beneath the North American Plate, producing frequent megathrust and crustal earthquakes along the Aleutian arc. The nearest mapped fault system is the Aleutian megathrust. View all earthquakes in Alaska.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 14 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-149.3502°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.6 earthquake near Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska?
The magnitude 2.6 earthquake that struck 16 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska on October 15, 2020 at 16:41 UTC had a depth of 33.4 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 61.1872°, -149.3502°, which is 16 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Alaska had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Alaska was the M9.2 Great Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964. Today's magnitude 2.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: ak020da832dn). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 15, 2020). M2.6 Earthquake 16 km ESE of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska — October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/ak020da832dn/