3.5

M3.5 Earthquake 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, AlaskaSeptember 9, 2022

2022-09-09 18:51:30 UTC (2022-09-09) · approx. 8:51 AM UTC-10 local

Felt by 134 people across surrounding communities.

MagnitudeM3.5(mwr)
Time18:51 UTC8:51 AM UTC-10
Depth16.7 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates64.743°, -149.206°
Felt by134DYFI responses· max MMI 3.2
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On September 9, 2022 at 18:51 UTC, a magnitude 3.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska, at a depth of 16.7 km and coordinates 64.7430°, -149.2060°. The earthquake was reported felt by 134 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.2 (light).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2.7 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 157 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 64.74°, -149.21°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M3.5 earthquake near 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 134 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M3.5 earthquake near 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
3.5 mwr
Depth
16.7 km
shallow crustal
Location
64.7430°N
-149.2060°E
Felt Reports
134
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
3.2
light
Community Intensity
4.3
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
ak022bl2g95u
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
246
RMS Residual
0.94 sec
Last Updated
2022-11-15 19:05:54 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Four Mile Road, Alaska?

The magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska on September 9, 2022 at 18:51 UTC had a depth of 16.7 km. It was felt by 134 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.2 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 64.7430°, -149.2060°, which is 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.5 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 3.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: ak022bl2g95u). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, September 9, 2022). M3.5 Earthquake 16 km NNW of Four Mile Road, AlaskaSeptember 9, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/ak022bl2g95u/