A M4.5 earthquake struck under land 53 miles from Anchorage in The United States in the evening of Friday April 18th, 2025. 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, 53 miles (85 km) west of Anchorage in Alaska. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 55 km.
| Date and Time: | Apr 18, 2025 11:18PM (Anchorage Time) - Apr 19, 2025 07:18 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 53 mi west of Anchorage, Alaska, The United States. Coordinates 61°9'23"N 151°28'47"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 . |
| Depth: | 55 mi (89 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 on land near a coastal area (10 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 55 mi (89 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
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 460 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 460 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 398,600 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,060 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 65,250 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 398,600 | 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Anchorage in Alaska, The United States. Anchorage is located 53 miles (85 km) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Anchorage is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 53 mi (85 km) E from epicenter |
Anchorage Alaska, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 65 mi (104 km) E from epicenter |
Eagle River Alaska, The United States. |
III
Weak |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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 March 6th, 2025, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 105 mi (169 km) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 30th, 2018.
In total, 116 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 23/05/25 02:38 (). 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 ak02550duu6u
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250419_0000073
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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