5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, AlaskaApril 22, 2022

2022-04-22 05:27:35 UTC (2022-04-22) · approx. 6:27 PM UTC-11 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.2(mww)
Time05:27 UTC6:27 PM UTC-11
Depth212.4 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates56.259°, -161.601°
Felt by1DYFI response· max MMI 3.0
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· Tsunami evaluation
Tsunami Warning Issued

On April 22, 2022 at 05:27 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 intermediate depth earthquake struck 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska, at a depth of 212.4 km and coordinates 56.2588°, -161.6009°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.0 (light).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 56.26°, -161.60°

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 M5.2 earthquake near 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

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.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.2 earthquake near 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mww
Depth
212.4 km
intermediate depth
Location
56.2588°N
-161.6009°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
3.0
light
Community Intensity
2.2
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000hfh7
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
416
Azimuthal Gap
31.0°
Min Station Distance
0.782°
RMS Residual
1.31 sec
Last Updated
2024-04-07 00:02:08 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Nelson Lagoon, Alaska?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska on April 22, 2022 at 05:27 UTC had a depth of 212.4 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.0 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 56.2588°, -161.6009°, which is 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 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 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000hfh7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, April 22, 2022). M5.2 Earthquake 37 km NW of Nelson Lagoon, AlaskaApril 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000hfh7/