5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 144 km SSW of Nikolski, AlaskaAugust 14, 2025

2025-08-14 18:00:55 UTC (2025-08-14) · approx. 7:00 AM UTC-11 local

0

MagnitudeM5.2(mww)
Time18:00 UTC7:00 AM UTC-11
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates51.854°, -170.020°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On August 14, 2025 at 18:00 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 144 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 51.8539°, -170.0196°.0 This earthquake was detected by 118 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 416, placing it among routine seismic activity.

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 51.85°, -170.02°

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 144 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska

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

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from submitted 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 M5.2 earthquake near 144 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
51.8539°N
-170.0196°E
Intensity (MMI)
2.9
weak
Community Intensity
1.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000r0sy
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
416
Stations Used
118
Azimuthal Gap
131.0°
Min Station Distance
0.943°
RMS Residual
0.93 sec
Last Updated
2026-07-16 18:11:03 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Nikolski, Alaska?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 144 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska on August 14, 2025 at 18:00 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 51.8539°, -170.0196°, which is 144 km SSW of Nikolski, 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: us6000r0sy). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, August 14, 2025). M5.2 Earthquake 144 km SSW of Nikolski, AlaskaAugust 14, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000r0sy/