Earthquakes medium

M 4.9 Earthquake 98 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska

Source: USGS · Alaska

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 98 km SSW of Nikolski. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M4.9 is classified "Light". Among the 1,720 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M4.9 event ranks stronger than 54% of them (rank #778 by magnitude).

30 seconds on this earthquake report

Magnitude
M 4.9
USGS class
Light
Location
98 km SSW of Nikolski
Archive rank
#778 of 1,720
Source
USGS
Published
September 2, 2026
LIGHT

Stronger than 54% of the 1,720 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 777 others.

Record status: USGS's reading at the moment of detection — the agency keeps revising magnitude, aftershock counts, and felt reports on its own event page as more data arrives.

What Happened

A M 4.9 mb earthquake struck 98 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska. The event occurred at 2026-09-02 12:30:27 UTC with a depth of 38.517 km.

Location Details

The epicenter was located at latitude 52.1067, longitude -169.369. This places it 98 km south-southwest of Nikolski, Alaska. The depth of 38.5 km is classified as intermediate (20-70 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. There was no tsunami advisory (tsunami field = 0). The maximum estimated shaking intensity (MMI) was 3.027. No alert level was issued.

What You Should Know

This was a light earthquake (M 4.0-4.9). Such events are often felt but rarely cause significant damage.

Source

USGS Event Page

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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What People Ask

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 4.9 mb earthquake occurred 98 km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska at a depth of 38.5 km.
What does a magnitude 4.9 ("Light") earthquake mean? ▾
The USGS classifies M4.9 as "Light" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #778 strongest of the 1,720 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 54% of them and weaker than 777 others.
Was Nikolski likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 98 km SSW of Nikolski. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

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