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M1.6 Earthquake near Nikiski, United States — 15 September 2026

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.6 was recorded near Nikiski, United States on , with an epicentre 21 km north-northwest of Nikiski, at a focal depth of 71.6 km. It ranked as the 3216th strongest of 7830 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

1.6 Micro

Time (UTC): 2026-09-15 13:01:50

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.6 (micro)

Focal depth: 71.6 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 60.8800, -151.3840

Location: 21 km NNW of Nikiski, 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 1.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.8 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 39, 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 02:56 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 95% of the 156,239 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 63% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 60.8800, -151.3840 — 21 km north-northwest of Nikiski. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.4 earthquake 5 km south of here on 14 September 2026.

The nearest other settlement in our records is Anchor Point (151 km south-southwest).

Why the 72 km depth matters

At 72 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 M1.6 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

5 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 8 hours since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.5.

42 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 M1.6 event released about 4.0 million times less energy than that event.

2058 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 147 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 Nikiski?

It measured magnitude 1.6 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.8 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Nikiski?

The focus was 72 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Nikiski earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 1.6 and a focal depth of 72 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Nikiski happen?

15 September 2026 at 13:01 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

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

Have there been aftershocks?

5 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 8 hours since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.5.

How often do earthquakes happen near Nikiski?

42 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 M1.6 event released about 4.0 million times less energy than that event.