M1.5 Earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — 31 July 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near Karluk, Alaska on , with an epicentre 18 km west-southwest of Karluk, at a focal depth of 12.7 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-31 05:08:14
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)
Focal depth: 12.7 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 57.4980, -154.7290
Location: 18 km WSW of Karluk, Alaska
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 1.5 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.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 57.4980, -154.7290 — 18 km west-southwest of Karluk. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.1 earthquake 50 km north of here on 30 July 2026.
Why the 13 km depth matters
At 13 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 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
15 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.0.
22 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Akhiok on 13 February 2025. This M1.5 event released about 2.8 million 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
- M1.1 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (50 km N)
- M0.4 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (57 km NW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (60 km WNW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (65 km WNW)
- M1.3 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (71 km W)
- M1.0 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (71 km N)
- M3.0 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (72 km WSW)
- M1.2 earthquake near Ugashik, Alaska — (73 km W)
- M2.0 earthquake near Akhiok, Alaska — (80 km S)
- M1.2 earthquake near Karluk, Alaska — (80 km NNW)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.5 earthquake near Lamont, CA —
- M1.7 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M1.6 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M1.8 earthquake near Toyah, Texas —
- M1.5 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, New Mexico —
- M1.6 earthquake near Albany, CA —
- M1.2 earthquake near Pedro Bay, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 1.5 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.
How deep was the earthquake near Karluk?
At 13 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 M1.5 earthquake near Karluk 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 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.
Have there been aftershocks?
15 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.0.
How often do earthquakes happen near Karluk?
22 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Akhiok on 13 February 2025. This M1.5 event released about 2.8 million times less energy than that event.