M0.5 Earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — 31 July 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 0.5 was recorded near Ivanof Bay, Alaska on , with an epicentre 20 km west-northwest of Ivanof Bay, at a focal depth of 3.6 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-31 17:49:58
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 0.5 (micro)
Focal depth: 3.6 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 55.9975, -159.7550
Location: 20 km WNW of Ivanof Bay, Alaska
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.
A magnitude 0.5 earthquake radiates roughly 0.08 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 3, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 55.9975, -159.7550 — 20 km west-northwest of Ivanof Bay. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.5 earthquake 3 km south-southwest of here on 24 July 2026.
Why the 4 km depth matters
At 4 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M0.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event.
78 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M0.5 event released about 17.6 billion times less energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the July 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M1.5 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (3 km SSW)
- M0.6 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (4 km E)
- M0.3 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (4 km ENE)
- M0.5 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (5 km ESE)
- M0.9 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (5 km ESE)
- M1.8 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (5 km SSE)
- M0.8 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (5 km SSE)
- M2.2 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (6 km SSW)
- M0.3 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (6 km SSE)
- M1.7 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, Alaska — (6 km SSE)
Other magnitude 0 earthquakes worldwide
- M0.5 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska —
- M0.6 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA —
- M0.7 earthquake near Anza, CA —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M0.8 earthquake near Borrego Springs, CA —
- M0.2 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M0.3 earthquake near Valle Vista, CA —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 0.5 earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 0.5 earthquake radiates roughly 0.08 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Ivanof Bay?
At 4 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M0.5 earthquake near Ivanof Bay felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M0.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Ivanof Bay?
78 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M0.5 event released about 17.6 billion times less energy than that event.