M1.6 Earthquake near Tyonek, United States — 06 September 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.6 was recorded near Tyonek, United States on , with an epicentre 4 km south of Tyonek, at a focal depth of 75.4 km. It ranked as the 3309th strongest of 7968 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-06 05:56:48
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.6 (micro)
Focal depth: 75.4 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 61.0300, -151.1240
Location: 4 km S of Tyonek, Alaska
Country: United States
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 1.6 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 19:52 local solar time at the epicentre, in the evening.
This event was deeper than 96% of the 153,884 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 63% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 61.0300, -151.1240 — 4 km south of Tyonek. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.6 earthquake 10 km east of here on 04 September 2026.
The nearest other settlement in our records is Anchor Point (172 km south-southwest).
Why the 75 km depth matters
At 75 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
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
41 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.
1679 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 131 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
- M1.6 earthquake near Tyonek, United States — (10 km E)
- M1.7 earthquake near Nikiski, United States — (31 km SSW)
- M2.1 earthquake near Point Possession, United States — (36 km E)
- M2.6 earthquake near Nikiski, United States — (37 km SSW)
- M1.5 earthquake near Beluga, United States — (52 km NW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Sterling, United States — (55 km SSE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Salamatof, United States — (58 km SW)
- M1.9 earthquake near Susitna, United States — (59 km NNE)
- M-0.3 earthquake near Beluga, United States — (63 km WNW)
- M-0.3 earthquake near Tyonek, United States — (64 km WNW)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.5 earthquake near Cobb, United States —
- M1.3 earthquake near Cloverdale, United States —
- M2.4 earthquake near Chenega, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Kurtistown, United States —
- M0.5 earthquake near Anza, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Palomar Observatory, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.3 earthquake near Manley Hot Springs, United States —
- M1.2 earthquake near Anza, United States —
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.5 earthquake near Cobb, United States —
- M1.3 earthquake near Cloverdale, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Milford, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Mina, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Tyonek?
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 Tyonek?
The focus was 75 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Tyonek earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 1.6 and a focal depth of 75 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Tyonek happen?
06 September 2026 at 05:56 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 since this event was recorded.
How often do earthquakes happen near Tyonek?
41 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.