M1.8 Earthquake near Sand Point, United States — 10 September 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.8 was recorded near Sand Point, United States on , with an epicentre 28 km west-southwest of Sand Point, at a focal depth of 88.4 km. It ranked as the 2187th strongest of 7837 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-10 00:29:17
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.8 (micro)
Focal depth: 88.4 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 55.2210, -160.8960
Location: 28 km WSW of Sand Point, 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 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 50, 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 13:45 local solar time at the epicentre, around midday.
This event was deeper than 97% of the 155,504 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 76% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 55.2210, -160.8960 — 28 km west-southwest of Sand Point. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.2 earthquake 17 km northeast of here on 28 August 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Ivanof Bay (98 km east), Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (114 km northeast), Cold Bay (121 km west) and Chignik Lake (157 km northeast).
Why the 88 km depth matters
At 88 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 M1.8 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
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.1.
92 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M1.8 event released about 177.8 million times less energy than that event.
280 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 39 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
- M2.2 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (17 km NE)
- M3.7 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (21 km ENE)
- M2.2 earthquake near King Cove, United States — (72 km SSW)
- M2.9 earthquake near King Cove, United States — (72 km SSW)
- M2.1 earthquake near King Cove, United States — (72 km SW)
- M2.6 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (77 km SE)
- M2.9 earthquake near King Cove, United States — (80 km SSW)
- M3.3 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (80 km ESE)
- M2.1 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (82 km ENE)
- M2.6 earthquake near Sand Point, United States — (84 km SSE)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.1 earthquake near Loma Linda, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Redlands, United States —
- M2.4 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Ojai, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Hawthorne, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, United States —
- M0.9 earthquake near Julian, United States —
- M1.5 earthquake near Barstow, United States —
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.6 earthquake near Redlands, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Hawthorne, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Ivanof Bay, United States —
- M1.5 earthquake near Barstow, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Milford, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Honaunau-Napoopoo, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Sand Point?
It measured magnitude 1.8 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Sand Point?
The focus was 88 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Sand Point earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 1.8 and a focal depth of 88 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Sand Point happen?
10 September 2026 at 00:29 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.1.
How often do earthquakes happen near Sand Point?
92 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M1.8 event released about 177.8 million times less energy than that event.