M2.0 Earthquake near Nanwalek, United States — 01 September 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.0 was recorded near Nanwalek, United States on , with an epicentre 62 km west of Nanwalek, at a focal depth of 108.1 km. It ranked as the 1441st strongest of 7663 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-01 03:54:46
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.0 (minor)
Focal depth: 108.1 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 59.3820, -153.0120
Location: 62 km W of Nanwalek, Alaska
Country: United States
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Automatic
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 62, 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 17:42 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.
This event was deeper than 98% of the 152,471 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 82% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 59.3820, -153.0120 — 62 km west of Nanwalek. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.6 earthquake 19 km southwest of here on 27 August 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Aleneva (163 km south-southwest) and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (168 km southwest).
Why the 108 km depth matters
At 108 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 M2.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 108 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; 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.
32 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.9 event near Clam Gulch on 27 June 2026. This M2.0 event released about 22,387 times less energy than that event.
3009 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 210 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 Nanwalek, United States — (19 km SW)
- M1.9 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (47 km N)
- M1.8 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (53 km NNE)
- M2.2 earthquake near Nanwalek, United States — (57 km SSE)
- M1.6 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (60 km NNW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (61 km NNE)
- M2.1 earthquake near Anchor Point, United States — (66 km NE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Kokhanok, United States — (67 km SW)
- M0.4 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (69 km N)
- M-0.7 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States — (71 km N)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M2.2 earthquake near Mentasta Lake, United States —
- M0.6 earthquake near Coso Junction, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Stanton, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near Banning, United States —
- M1.5 earthquake near Salcha, United States —
- M3.3 earthquake near Nelson Lagoon, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Borrego Springs, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Ontario, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Coso Junction, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Petersville, United States —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.2 earthquake near Mentasta Lake, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Petersville, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Egegik, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near McCloud, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Four Mile Road, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Dry Creek, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Nanwalek?
It measured magnitude 2.0 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Nanwalek?
The focus was 108 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Nanwalek earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.0 and a focal depth of 108 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Nanwalek happen?
01 September 2026 at 03:54 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 Nanwalek?
32 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.9 event near Clam Gulch on 27 June 2026. This M2.0 event released about 22,387 times less energy than that event.