M5.2 Earthquake 104 km NNW of Yakutat, Alaska — January 8, 2022
2022-01-08 08:16:42 UTC (2022-01-08) · approx. 11:16 PM UTC-9 local
Felt by 19 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.8 (strong).
On January 8, 2022 at 08:16 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 104 km NNW of Yakutat, Alaska, at a depth of 37.8 km and coordinates 60.3899°, -140.5334°. The earthquake was reported felt by 19 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.8 (strong).
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
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 19 citizen responses 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
-140.5334°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Yakutat, Alaska?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 104 km NNW of Yakutat, Alaska on January 8, 2022 at 08:16 UTC had a depth of 37.8 km. It was felt by 19 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.8 (strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 60.3899°, -140.5334°, which is 104 km NNW of Yakutat, 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: us7000ga56). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 8, 2022). M5.2 Earthquake 104 km NNW of Yakutat, Alaska — January 8, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ga56/