Written by on . Last updated December 2nd, 2024.

Under land 87 miles from Anchorage in The United States, a shallow M4.5 earthquake occurred just after midnight of Wednesday November 13th, 2024. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 87 miles (140 km) east-southeast of Anchorage in Alaska. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time: Nov 13, 2024 12:07AM (Anchorage Time)
- Nov 13, 2024 09:07 Universal Time.
Location: 87 mi ESE of Anchorage, Alaska, The United States.
Coordinates 60°56'41"N 147°21'38"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 4.5
Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.03 .
Depth: 10 mi (16 km)
A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:
IV
Light

On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk: Potential tsunami risk
The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

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.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

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 This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (1 mi from the sea). 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 10 mi (16 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 78 miles (126 km) east-southeast 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).

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place Intensity (MMI)
78 mi (126 km)
WNW from epicenter
Eagle River

Alaska, The United States.
II
Weak
87 mi (140 km)
WNW from epicenter
Anchorage

Alaska, The United States.
II
Weak
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

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.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 23 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.9 was detected 1.3 mi (2.1 km) south-southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Classification Magnitude When Where
Main Shock
This Earthquake
M 4.5 Nov 13, 2024 12:07AM
(Anchorage Time)
-
Aftershock M 2.9 23 hrs later
Nov 13, 2024 10:58PM (Anchorage Time)
1.3 mi (2.1 km)
SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock M 2.5 1 day later
Nov 14, 2024 11:17AM (Anchorage Time)
23 mi (38 km)
SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock M 2.5 2 days later
Nov 14, 2024 06:52PM (Anchorage Time)
33 mi (53 km)
N from Main Shock.
Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 October 11th, 2024, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 135 mi (218 km) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 30th, 2018.

In total, 88 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.

Sources

Last updated 02/12/24 11:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

  1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake ak024em2arnr
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241113_0000091
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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