On Wednesday Evening a Shallow M5.3 AFTERSHOCK struck 287km from Whitehorse in Canada.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 1st, 2026. Last updated January 14th, 2026.

Just before midnight of Wednesday December 31st, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 aftershock hit under land 287 kilometer from Whitehorse in Canada. 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 Canada, 287 kilometer (178 mi) west of Whitehorse in Yukon. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 31, 2025 23:55 (Whitehorse Time) - Jan 1, 2026 06:55 Universal Time.
Location:	287 km west of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Coordinates 60°28'43"N 140°17'34"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.3 .
Depth:	5 km (3 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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

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 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% 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 2 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 2 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 1,710 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Canada . Whitehorse in Yukon, Canada is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 287 kilometer (178 mi) west of Whitehorse.

Overview of nearby places

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 VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Canada.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada: 4 people.
• Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 8 mins before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck 9 km (6 mi) east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.3 earthquake as an aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 year.

Sources

Last updated 14/01/26 07:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rlum
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260101_0000096
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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