Earthquake.now

M1.5 Earthquake near Cantwell, United States — 31 August 2026

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near Cantwell, United States on , with an epicentre 61 km south of Cantwell, at a focal depth of 75.8 km. It ranked as the 3213th strongest of 7651 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

1.5 Micro

Time (UTC): 2026-08-31 02:15:24

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)

Focal depth: 75.8 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 62.8390, -149.0480

Location: 61 km S of Cantwell, Alaska

Country: United States

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 1.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.7 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 35, 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 16:19 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 96% of the 152,739 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 58% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 62.8390, -149.0480 — 61 km south of Cantwell. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.4 earthquake 28 km north-northwest of here on 30 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Anderson (167 km north-northwest), Badger (214 km north-northeast), Beluga (219 km south-southwest) and Anchorage (222 km south).

Why the 76 km depth matters

At 76 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 M1.5 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

16 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.5.

19 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 M1.5 event released about 5.6 million times less energy than that event.

1080 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 47 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 August 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during August 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 Cantwell?

It measured magnitude 1.5 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.5 earthquake radiates roughly 2.7 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Cantwell?

The focus was 76 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Cantwell earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 1.5 and a focal depth of 76 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Cantwell happen?

31 August 2026 at 02:15 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

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

Have there been aftershocks?

16 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.5.

How often do earthquakes happen near Cantwell?

19 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 M1.5 event released about 5.6 million times less energy than that event.