3.9

M3.9 Earthquake 26 km W of Happy Valley, AlaskaAugust 29, 2026

2026-08-29 12:02:11 UTC (51 min ago) · approx. 2:02 AM UTC-10 local

Felt by 13 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM3.9(ml)
Time12:02 UTC2:02 AM UTC-10
Depth92.1 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates59.926°, -152.213°
Felt by13DYFI responses· max MMI 2.8
StatusAutomatic (preliminary)

On August 29, 2026 at 12:02 UTC, a magnitude 3.9 intermediate depth earthquake struck 26 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska, at a depth of 92.1 km and coordinates 59.9260°, -152.2130°. The earthquake was reported felt by 13 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 2.8 (weak). This earthquake was detected by 193 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 238, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 11 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 296 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 59.93°, -152.21°

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 M3.9 earthquake near 26 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska

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

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 13 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 M3.9 earthquake near 26 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
3.9 ml
Depth
92.1 km
intermediate depth
Location
59.9260°N
-152.2130°E
Felt Reports
13
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
2.8
weak
Community Intensity
3.1
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
aka2026rcfhvc
Event Type
earthquake
Status
Automatic
Significance
238
Stations Used
193
Azimuthal Gap
55.0°
Min Station Distance
0.400°
RMS Residual
0.60 sec
Last Updated
2026-08-29 12:22:35 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 3.9 earthquake near Happy Valley, Alaska?

The magnitude 3.9 earthquake that struck 26 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska on August 29, 2026 at 12:02 UTC had a depth of 92.1 km. It was felt by 13 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 2.8 (weak). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 59.9260°, -152.2130°, which is 26 km W of Happy Valley, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.9 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 3.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: aka2026rcfhvc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, August 29, 2026). M3.9 Earthquake 26 km W of Happy Valley, AlaskaAugust 29, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/aka2026rcfhvc/