M 4.2 Earthquake 100 km S of False Pass, 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 4.2 earthquake occurred 100 km south of False Pass, Alaska, at a depth of 30.9 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 21, 2026 and geographically references Alaska. Its severity classification of "medium" 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 4.2 mb earthquake struck 100 km S of False Pass, Alaska, on 2026-08-19 at 12:34:24 UTC. The event was located at latitude 53.9496, longitude -163.3413, with a depth of 30.859 km (intermediate depth).
Location Details
The earthquake was centered 100 km south of False Pass, Alaska, at coordinates 53.9496°N, 163.3413°W. An intermediate depth of 30.859 km places the event between 20-70 km.
Impact Assessment
No felt reports were recorded. The Modified Mercalli Intensity was measured at 2.93. No tsunami advisory was issued (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level was assigned.
What You Should Know
This was classified as a light earthquake. Minor shaking may have been noticeable to nearby residents, though no damage is indicated in available data.
Source
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 (870 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to August 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.