M1.9 Earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — 12 August 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.9 was recorded near False Pass, Alaska on , with an epicentre 86 km southwest of False Pass, at a focal depth of 88.7 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-08-12 15:22:18
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.9 (micro)
Focal depth: 88.7 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 54.3670, -164.4450
Location: 86 km SW of False Pass, Alaska
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 1.9 earthquake radiates roughly 11 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 56, 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.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 54.3670, -164.4450 — 86 km southwest of False Pass. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.5 earthquake 17 km north-northwest of here on 13 August 2026.
Why the 89 km depth matters
At 89 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.
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 M1.9 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
3 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.3.
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 5.4 event near False Pass on 14 July 2026. This M1.9 event released about 177,828 times less energy than that event.
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. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M0.5 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (17 km NNW)
- M1.0 earthquake near Akutan, Alaska — (24 km NW)
- M0.7 earthquake near Akutan, Alaska — (26 km WNW)
- M2.4 earthquake near Akutan, Alaska — (44 km SSE)
- M3.5 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (56 km SSE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Akutan, Alaska — (62 km W)
- M2.1 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (62 km ENE)
- M1.6 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (62 km ENE)
- M1.6 earthquake near Akutan, Alaska — (70 km WSW)
- M2.3 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (71 km ENE)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M1.7 earthquake near Pinnacles, CA —
- M1.9 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M1.8 earthquake near Lake Henshaw, CA —
- M1.8 earthquake near Fern Forest, Hawaii —
- M2.0 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M2.1 earthquake near Toyah, Texas —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 1.9 earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 1.9 earthquake radiates roughly 11 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near False Pass?
At 89 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.
Was the M1.9 earthquake near False Pass felt?
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.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
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 M1.9 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.
Have there been aftershocks?
3 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.3.
How often do earthquakes happen near False Pass?
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 5.4 event near False Pass on 14 July 2026. This M1.9 event released about 177,828 times less energy than that event.