In the Gulf Of Alaska 100 miles from Anchorage, The United States, a MAG-4.5 earthquake occurred in the evening of Thursday December 19th, 2024. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Alaska, right off the coast of The United States (4 km offshore), 100 miles southwest of Anchorage in Alaska. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 53 km.
| Date and Time: | Dec 19, 2024 07:03PM (Anchorage Time) - Dec 20, 2024 04:03 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 100 mi SW of Anchorage, Alaska, The United States. Coordinates 60°21'25"N 152°17'37"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.091 . |
| Depth: | 53 mi (85 km) An intermediate 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
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 under 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 53 mi (85 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Anchorage in Alaska, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 100 miles (161 km) southwest of Anchorage. Anchorage experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly II. That level implies very weak shaking and no damage.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mi (161 km) NE from epicenter |
Anchorage Alaska, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 113 mi (182 km) NE from epicenter |
Eagle River Alaska, The United States. |
II
Weak |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
3 days earlier Dec 17, 2024 02:10AM (Anchorage Time) | 37 mi (60 km) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Dec 18, 2024 07:43AM (Anchorage Time) | 43 mi (68 km) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
14 hrs earlier Dec 19, 2024 05:11AM (Anchorage Time) | 28 mi (46 km) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.5 |
Dec 19, 2024 07:03PM (Anchorage Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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 November 13th, 2024, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 172 mi (277 km) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 30th, 2018.
In total, 105 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 21/12/24 14:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake ak024gb66mji
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241220_0000054
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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