Alaska Earthquakes

Monitor real-time earthquake activity across Alaska, the most seismically active state in the United States. This page features live USGS updates for all magnitude 1.5+ earthquakes. Alaska sits in a powerful tectonic setting along with Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North Amercian Plate at the Aleutian Trench. This convergent boundary produces frequent, mostly shallow to intermediate-depth earthquakes, including some of the largest on Earth, which shape the state’s seismic landscape¹.

Understanding the Map

Each colored circle represents an earthquake location. Click any circle to see detailed information including magnitude, location, time, and depth. Use the time filter buttons to view earthquakes from the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days. Alaska typically shows dozens of earthquakes daily, with particularly high activity along the Aleutian arc.

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📊 Alaska Earthquake Statistics

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Magnitude 1.5+ • Data from USGS

🔔 Significant Recent Earthquakes (M4.5+)

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Latest Quakes Detected in Alaska

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About Alaska Earthquakes

Alaska is North America’s most seismically active region, with more large earthquakes than all other U.S. states combined. On average, Alaska experiences about one magnitude 7+ earthquake per year and a magnitude 8 or larger roughly every 13 years, caused by rapid plate convergence along the 2,500-mile-long Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone².

Alaska is North America’s most seismically active region, with more large earthquakes than all other U.S. states combined. On average, Alaska experiences about one magnitude 7–8 earthquake per year and a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake roughly every 13 years, driven by rapid plate convergence along the 2,500‑mile‑long Alaska–Aleutian subduction zone.

Major Seismic Zones

Aleutian Megathrust: Subduction zone capable of magnitude 9+ earthquakes, extends from Alaska Peninsula through Aleutian Islands
Denali Fault: Major strike-slip fault through central Alaska, source of the 2002 M7.9 earthquake
Castle Mountain Fault: Active fault system north of Anchorage with documented Holocene activity and significant hazard potential³.
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault: Fast‑slipping transform plate‑boundary fault along the Alaska-Canada border
Cook Inlet: Seismically active area that includes Anchorage and nearby communities, affected by both crustal and subduction‑related earthquakes.
Interior Alaska: Region of frequent earthquake swarms and seismicity, including events related to both tectonic faults and nearby volcanic systems³.

Historical Major Earthquakes

1964 Great Alaska (M9.2): Second largest earthquake ever recorded, caused devastating tsunami, 131 deaths in Alaska and along the Pacific.
1965 Rat Islands (M8.7): Aleutian Islands megathrust event with 10-meter tsunami⁴.
2002 Denali (M7.9): Largest instrumentally recorded interior Alaska earthquake, rupturing multiple faults including the Denali and Totschunda faults.
2018 Anchorage (M7.1): Intraslab event beneath south‑central Alaska that caused extensive damage but no fatalities due to strict building codes.

Earthquake and Tsunami Risk

Alaska faces combined hazards from strong ground shaking, landslides, and tsunamis generated by megathrust earthquakes and coastal or submarine slope failures. The Alaska–Aleutian subduction zone can produce Pacific‑wide tsunamis that threaten coastal communities in Alaska and across the broader Pacific Basin.

Many Alaska coastal communities maintain mapped tsunami hazard zones, signed evacuation routes, and regular community drills to reduce risk. The Alaska Earthquake Center and partner agencies monitor seismic activity 24/7 and provide rapid alerts, products, and information that support tsunami warning operations and public safety messaging.

Why So Many Earthquakes?

Alaska has around 20,000 earthquakes every year, but most are so small that people never feel them. Several magnitude 5+ earthquakes usually occur each month, showing how much strain is constantly building and releasing along the state’s plate boundaries and major faults.

All this shaking comes from where Alaska sits on the planet, right where several plate boundaries meet, including the Alaska–Aleutian subduction zone, major transform faults, and complex fault networks in the interior. This complex tectonic crossroads makes Alaska one of the best places on Earth to study powerful earthquakes, tsunamis, and the hazards that come with them⁵.

🗺️ Related Maps

View broader region: United States Earthquakes

View other states: California | Washington |