M5.0 Earthquake 252 km NW of Attu Station, Alaska — December 29, 2021
2021-12-29 09:28:57 UTC (2021-12-29) · approx. 8:28 PM UTC+11 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On December 29, 2021 at 09:28 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 252 km NW of Attu Station, Alaska, at a depth of 10.8 km and coordinates 54.5209°, 170.6110°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 2.9 (weak).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — 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
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response 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
170.6110°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Attu Station, Alaska?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 252 km NW of Attu Station, Alaska on December 29, 2021 at 09:28 UTC had a depth of 10.8 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 2.9 (weak). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 54.5209°, 170.6110°, which is 252 km NW of Attu Station, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gg2x). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 29, 2021). M5.0 Earthquake 252 km NW of Attu Station, Alaska — December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gg2x/