M4.5 Earthquake hit 111mi from Anchorage in The United States on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 11th, 2024. Last updated October 21st, 2024.

A M4.5 earthquake struck under land 111 miles from Anchorage in The United States in the morning of Friday October 11th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 380 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 111 miles (178 km) north-northeast of Anchorage in Alaska. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 44 km.

Date and Time:	Oct 11, 2024 11:17AM (Anchorage Time) - Oct 11, 2024 19:17 Universal Time.
Location:	111 mi NNE of Anchorage, Alaska, The United States. Coordinates 62°45'23"N 148°56'32"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.5 Detected by 117 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.029 .
Depth:	44 mi (71 km) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 380 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 380 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 4,130 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 380 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
45,660	I	Not noticable	None
378,100	II	Very weak	None
4,130	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 101 miles (163 km) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Eagle River (Alaska, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Eagle River is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
101 mi (163 km) S from epicenter	Eagle River Alaska, The United States.	II Weak
111 mi (178 km) SSW from epicenter	Anchorage Alaska, The United States.	II Weak
148 mi (238 km) NNE from epicenter	Badger Alaska, The United States.	II Weak
149 mi (239 km) NNE from epicenter	Fairbanks Alaska, The United States.	II Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is III.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.3	2 days earlier Oct 9, 2024 04:26PM (Anchorage Time)	58 mi (94 km) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	1 day earlier Oct 10, 2024 01:10AM (Anchorage Time)	53 mi (85 km) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.2	15 mins earlier Oct 11, 2024 11:02AM (Anchorage Time)	29 mi (47 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	6 mins earlier Oct 11, 2024 11:11AM (Anchorage Time)	30 mi (49 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.5	Oct 11, 2024 11:17AM (Anchorage Time)	-

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 14th, 2024, when a 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 56 mi (89 km) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 30th, 2018.

In total, 86 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 44 mi (71 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 21/10/24 20:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.