Earthquake.now

M2.0 Earthquake near Willow, United States — 16 October 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.0 was recorded near Willow, United States on , with an epicentre 31 km west-northwest of Willow, at a focal depth of 73.1 km. It ranked as the 1149th strongest of 6532 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

2.0 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-10-16 12:10:56

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 2.0 (minor)

Focal depth: 73.1 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 61.8940, -150.5590

Location: 31 km WNW of Willow, 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 02:08 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 95% of the 162,905 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 82% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 61.8940, -150.5590 — 31 km west-northwest of Willow. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.5 earthquake 29 km west of here on 14 October 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Beluga (93 km south), Anchorage (146 km southeast), Bear Creek (213 km south-southeast) and Anchor Point (246 km south-southwest).

Why the 73 km depth matters

At 73 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; 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.

36 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 M2.0 event released about 1.0 million times less energy than that event.

1873 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 143 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 October 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during October 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 2 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 2 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Willow?

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 Willow?

The focus was 73 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Willow earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 2.0 and a focal depth of 73 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Willow happen?

16 October 2026 at 12:10 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 Willow?

36 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 M2.0 event released about 1.0 million times less energy than that event.