5.1

M5.1 Earthquake 95 km SSE of Perryville, AlaskaOctober 28, 2021

2021-10-28 19:06:56 UTC (2021-10-28) · approx. 8:06 AM UTC-11 local

Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.1(mww)
Time19:06 UTC8:06 AM UTC-11
Depth28.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates55.073°, -158.837°
Felt by3DYFI responses· max MMI 3.5
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On October 28, 2021 at 19:06 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 95 km SSE of Perryville, Alaska, at a depth of 28.0 km and coordinates 55.0732°, -158.8373°. The earthquake was reported felt by 3 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.5 (light).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 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 55.07°, -158.84°

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 M5.1 earthquake near 95 km SSE of Perryville, Alaska

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

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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 M5.1 earthquake near 95 km SSE of Perryville, Alaska

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.1 mww
Depth
28.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
55.0732°N
-158.8373°E
Felt Reports
3
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
3.5
light
Community Intensity
3.8
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000fphz
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
401
Azimuthal Gap
63.0°
Min Station Distance
0.497°
RMS Residual
1.13 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 22:24:32 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Perryville, Alaska?

The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 95 km SSE of Perryville, Alaska on October 28, 2021 at 19:06 UTC had a depth of 28.0 km. It was felt by 3 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.5 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 55.0732°, -158.8373°, which is 95 km SSE of Perryville, Alaska. View all earthquakes in Alaska.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 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 5.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000fphz). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 28, 2021). M5.1 Earthquake 95 km SSE of Perryville, AlaskaOctober 28, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000fphz/