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M1.1 Earthquake near Happy Valley, United States — 14 September 2026

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.1 was recorded near Happy Valley, United States on , with an epicentre 15 km west-northwest of Happy Valley, at a focal depth of 74.5 km. It ranked as the 4917th strongest of 7751 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

1.1 Micro

Time (UTC): 2026-09-14 19:37:34

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.1 (micro)

Focal depth: 74.5 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 59.9940, -151.9990

Location: 15 km WNW of Happy Valley, 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 1.1 earthquake radiates roughly 0.67 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 19, 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 09:29 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.

This event was deeper than 96% of the 155,965 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 39% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 59.9940, -151.9990 — 15 km west-northwest of Happy Valley. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.4 earthquake 14 km southeast of here on 13 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Anchor Point (47 km south-southwest), Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (201 km southwest) and Aleneva (234 km south-southwest).

Why the 74 km depth matters

At 74 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 M1.1 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

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded, the largest of them magnitude 2.4.

44 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 M1.1 event released about 22.4 million times less energy than that event.

2084 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 151 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

Other recent earthquakes in the United States

All recorded earthquakes in the United States →

Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Happy Valley?

It measured magnitude 1.1 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.1 earthquake radiates roughly 0.67 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Happy Valley?

The focus was 74 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Happy Valley earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 1.1 and a focal depth of 74 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Happy Valley happen?

14 September 2026 at 19:37 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded, the largest of them magnitude 2.4.

How often do earthquakes happen near Happy Valley?

44 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 M1.1 event released about 22.4 million times less energy than that event.