M1.5 Earthquake near Tanana, United States — 27 August 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.5 was recorded near Tanana, United States on , with an epicentre 93 km southwest of Tanana, at a focal depth of 11.3 km. It ranked as the 3210th strongest of 7781 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-08-27 10:25:09
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.5 (micro)
Focal depth: 11.3 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 64.5670, -153.4440
Location: 93 km SW of Tanana, 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 00:11 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was deeper than 73% of the 156,298 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 58% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 64.5670, -153.4440 — 93 km southwest of Tanana. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.5 earthquake 3 km north of here on 23 February 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Hughes (111 km north), Lake Minchumina (126 km south), Galena (142 km north-northwest) and Huslia (151 km northwest).
Why the 11 km depth matters
At 11 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.
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
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
2 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.1 event near Petersville on 25 March 2025. This M1.5 event released about 7,943 times less energy than that event.
25 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 2 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
- M2.5 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (3 km N)
- M3.1 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (4 km WNW)
- M2.3 earthquake near Ruby, United States — (6 km W)
- M2.5 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (6 km N)
- M2.4 earthquake near Ruby, United States — (11 km NW)
- M3.1 earthquake near Lake Minchumina, United States — (26 km S)
- M1.6 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (40 km E)
- M1.8 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (41 km NE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (44 km N)
- M2.7 earthquake near Tanana, United States — (45 km ENE)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.8 earthquake near Susitna, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Port Lions, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Girdwood, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.8 earthquake near Susitna, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Volcano, United States —
- M1.4 earthquake near Little Lake, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.4 earthquake near Midland, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Santa Rosa, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Tanana?
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 Tanana?
The focus was 11 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Tanana earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 1.5 and a focal depth of 11 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Tanana happen?
27 August 2026 at 10:25 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 in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Tanana?
2 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.1 event near Petersville on 25 March 2025. This M1.5 event released about 7,943 times less energy than that event.