Earthquake.now

M1.5 Earthquake near Skwentna, United States — 12 September 2026

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near Skwentna, United States on , with an epicentre 7 km southeast of Skwentna, at a focal depth of 80.6 km. It ranked as the 3369th strongest of 7783 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

1.5 Micro

Time (UTC): 2026-09-12 00:19:24

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)

Focal depth: 80.6 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 61.9530, -151.2860

Location: 7 km SE of Skwentna, 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 14:14 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 96% of the 155,569 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 58% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 61.9530, -151.2860 — 7 km southeast of Skwentna. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.2 earthquake 22 km southeast of here on 12 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Beluga (101 km south-southeast), Anchorage (153 km southeast), Bear Creek (207 km south-southeast) and Anchor Point (236 km south-southwest).

Why the 81 km depth matters

At 81 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

6 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 22 hours since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.3.

35 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.

1518 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 103 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 Skwentna?

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 Skwentna?

The focus was 81 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Skwentna earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 1.5 and a focal depth of 81 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Skwentna happen?

12 September 2026 at 00:19 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

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

Have there been aftershocks?

6 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 22 hours since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.3.

How often do earthquakes happen near Skwentna?

35 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.