M 3.1 Earthquake Strikes 30 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 3.1 ml earthquake occurred 30 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska, at a depth of 50.3 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 8, 2026 and geographically references Alaska. Its severity classification of "low" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Alaska.
What Happened
A M 3.1 ml earthquake struck at 2026-07-20 12:14:43 UTC (timestamp 1784607283462). The event was located at coordinates 60.664°N, 150.272°W with a depth of 50.3 km.
Location Details
The earthquake was centered 30 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska. The depth of 50.3 km places it in the intermediate range (20-70 km).
Impact Assessment
The event was felt by 3 people, with a maximum reported intensity (CDI) of 2. No tsunami was generated (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level was issued.
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as minor and are often felt but rarely cause damage. Residents in the area should be aware that aftershocks remain possible.
Source
Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/aka2026ohoxcb
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (790 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to August 8, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.