Under land 155 miles from Fairbanks in The United States, an unusually powerful M5.6 earthquake occurred deep in the night of Thursday October 15th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 155 miles (250 km) west of Fairbanks in Alaska. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 3 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 15, 2026 03:07AM (Anchorage Time) - Oct 15, 2026 11:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 155 mi west of Fairbanks, Alaska, The United States. Coordinates 64°13'12"N 152°44'46"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.6 Detected by 47 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 . |
| Depth: | 3 mi (5 km) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | VIII
Severe 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Fairbanks in Alaska, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 155 miles (250 km) west of Fairbanks. The intensity of shaking and damage in Fairbanks 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 155 mi (250 km) E from epicenter |
Fairbanks Alaska, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 160 mi (258 km) E from epicenter |
Badger 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 VII.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 2 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3 was detected 1.8 mi (2.9 km) south of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 4 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
4 hrs earlier Oct 14, 2026 10:42PM (Anchorage Time) | 46 mi (74 km) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.6 |
Oct 15, 2026 03:07AM (Anchorage Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 hrs later Oct 15, 2026 05:05AM (Anchorage Time) | 1.8 mi (2.9 km) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
6 hrs later Oct 15, 2026 09:20AM (Anchorage Time) | 44 mi (71 km) E from Main Shock. |
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).This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years
Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 31st, 2021, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 185 mi (298 km) further south-east. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.
In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 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 10 years.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 3 mi (5 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/10/26 22:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake aka2026ukynnb
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261015_0000135
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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