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United States · Alaska

M5.1 Earthquake near Unorganized Borough, Alaska (United States)

UTC time: 2026-07-16 11:37:20 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis. How our reports are produced ↗

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M5.1 Earthquake near Unorganized Borough, Alaska (United States) · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Unorganized Borough, Alaska (United States) · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Unorganized Borough, Alaska (United States) on July 16, 2026 at 11:37 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 154 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.2.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10.3 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10.3 km
Shallow
10.3 km
10.3 km — shallower than the regional average (15.3 km)
Regional average: 15.3 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Official USGS aftershock forecast

Probability of at least one aftershock at or above the specified magnitude during the entire stated time window. This does not predict an individual earthquake.

Issued: Sep 3, 2026, 11:37 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 7, 2026, 2:52 AM UTC

Sep 3, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC – Sep 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC · Expired
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.00.47 %0–0
M ≥ 4.00.05 %0–0
M ≥ 5.0< 0.01 %0–0
M ≥ 6.0< 0.01 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0
Sep 3, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC – Sep 10, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.03.00 %0–1
M ≥ 4.00.31 %0–0
M ≥ 5.00.03 %0–0
M ≥ 6.0< 0.01 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0
Sep 3, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC – Oct 3, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.09.95 %0–1
M ≥ 4.01.10 %0–0
M ≥ 5.00.11 %0–0
M ≥ 6.00.01 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0
Sep 3, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC – Sep 3, 2027, 12:00 PM UTC
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.032.99 %0–3
M ≥ 4.04.80 %0–1
M ≥ 5.00.50 %0–0
M ≥ 6.00.05 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0

The range is the 95% forecast interval for the number of earthquakes. Magnitude thresholds and time windows overlap: do not add the values. Windows already in progress still refer to the entire stated period.

Source: USGS — Operational Aftershock Forecast

Estimated impact

15 Felt reports · max reported intensity 3.1

Ground shaking

VI
Strong · Intensity (MMI) VI
Strongly felt, light building damage possible.

Tectonic context

Located on the North America Plate.
Near the boundary North America ↔ Pacific · about 20 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Whitehorse352.0 kmE28'201
Anchorage459.2 kmW289'600

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Churchill
    Distance: 91 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'005 m ·Last eruption: 847 ·United States
  • Wrangell
    Distance: 208 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 4'278 m ·Last eruption: 1912 ·United States
  • Alligator Lake
    Distance: 334 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 2'217 m ·Canada
  • Fort Selkirk
    Distance: 340 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 1'239 m ·Canada
  • Atlin Volcanic Field
    Distance: 461 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 1'880 m ·Canada

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Yakataga AirportUnited States · CYT · PACY
    77.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-06

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours2
First 72 hours5
Strongest subsequent eventM3.6
M1.52026-07-17 00:36:07 UTC117.4 kmUnorganized Borough M1.12026-07-17 01:12:07 UTC28.8 kmYakutat M1.42026-07-17 20:44:43 UTC88.0 kmUnorganized Borough M3.62026-07-18 08:38:32 UTC36.6 kmYakutat M2.02026-07-18 23:12:08 UTC74.0 kmYakutat M1.92026-07-21 05:46:30 UTC6.2 kmUnorganized Borough M2.62026-07-21 10:18:01 UTC119.9 kmYukon M2.22026-07-21 12:01:46 UTC74.1 kmYakutat M1.62026-07-22 02:28:37 UTC97.9 kmUnorganized Borough M2.52026-07-22 22:29:14 UTC79.5 kmYukon M1.62026-07-23 07:22:01 UTC76.5 kmUnorganized Borough M1.62026-07-23 07:33:20 UTC76.2 kmUnorganized Borough

Comparison of seismic sources

6 sources currently report magnitudes from M4.9 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.110.3 km0.0 km
EMSCM4.910.3 km0.0 km
GFZM4.910.0 km12.4 km
ISCM5.313.0 km7.7 km
SERBIA_RSZM5.010.0 km37.0 km
NRCAN_XMLM5.10.0 km16.6 km

Alaska

Context for this earthquake

07 Sep 2025 – 07 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 651 Catalogue entries

Of 650 other entries for this area and period, 34 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#31
Earlier events M≥4205
Earlier events M≥545
Compared since2025-07-24

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M7.22025-12-06 20:41:53 UTC106.1 km M7.22025-12-06 20:41:50 UTC117.1 kmSoutheastern Alaska M7.02025-12-06 20:41:47 UTC110.3 km119 km WSW of Haines Junction, YT/119 km OSO de Haines Junction, YT M7.02025-12-06 20:41:49 UTC110.2 km2025 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake M6.92025-12-06 20:41:50 UTC113.6 kmSoutheastern Alaska

Historic earthquake map · United States

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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