M0.9 Earthquake near Ninilchik, United States — 22 September 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 0.9 was recorded near Ninilchik, United States on , with an epicentre 49 km west of Ninilchik, at a focal depth of 99.5 km. It ranked as the 5350th strongest of 7296 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-22 18:17:16
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 0.9 (micro)
Focal depth: 99.5 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 60.1400, -152.5470
Location: 49 km W of Ninilchik, Alaska
Country: United States
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Automatic
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 0.9 earthquake radiates roughly 0.34 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 12, 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.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 08:07 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.
This event was deeper than 98% of the 157,682 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 30% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 60.1400, -152.5470 — 49 km west of Ninilchik. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.4 earthquake 19 km south-southwest of here on 22 September 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Aleneva (226 km south) and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (247 km south-southwest).
Why the 100 km depth matters
At 100 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.
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 intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
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 M0.9 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 since this event was recorded.
38 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Susitna on 27 November 2025. This M0.9 event released about 44.7 million times less energy than that event.
3686 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 268 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M1.4 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (19 km SSW)
- M2.3 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (23 km S)
- M1.4 earthquake near Happy Valley, United States — (24 km SSE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Ninilchik, United States — (24 km WNW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (27 km S)
- M-0.8 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (29 km WSW)
- M0.8 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (30 km WSW)
- M0.2 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (31 km WSW)
- M-1.1 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (33 km WSW)
- M2.7 earthquake near Ninilchik, United States — (33 km NE)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.8 earthquake near Sun Valley, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Chula Vista, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Karluk, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near Inyokern, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near Inyokern, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Silver Peak, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Valdez, United States —
- M1.2 earthquake near Hebgen Lake Estates, United States —
Other magnitude 0 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.1 earthquake near Chula Vista, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near Inyokern, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near Inyokern, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M1.2 earthquake near Hebgen Lake Estates, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Mineral, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near Little Lake, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Ninilchik?
It measured magnitude 0.9 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 0.9 earthquake radiates roughly 0.34 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Ninilchik?
The focus was 100 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Ninilchik earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 0.9 and a focal depth of 100 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Ninilchik happen?
22 September 2026 at 18:17 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
How often do earthquakes happen near Ninilchik?
38 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Susitna on 27 November 2025. This M0.9 event released about 44.7 million times less energy than that event.