M2.1 Earthquake near Denali National Park, United States — 15 October 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.1 was recorded near Denali National Park, United States on , with an epicentre 53 km southeast of Denali National Park, at a focal depth of 132.0 km. It ranked as the 966th strongest of 6574 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-10-15 09:52:16
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.1 (minor)
Focal depth: 132.0 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 63.2200, -150.9200
Location: 53 km SE of Denali National Park, 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 2.1 earthquake radiates roughly 21 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 68, 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 23:48 local solar time at the epicentre, late at night.
This event was deeper than 99% of the 162,708 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 86% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 63.2200, -150.9200 — 53 km southeast of Denali National Park. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.0 earthquake 10 km south of here on 11 October 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Anderson (130 km north-northeast), Anchorage (224 km south) and Beluga (225 km south).
Why the 132 km depth matters
At 132 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 M2.1 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 132 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.
24 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 M2.1 event released about 707,946 times less energy than that event.
1191 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 82 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
- M2.0 earthquake near Denali National Park, United States — (10 km S)
- M2.0 earthquake near Denali National Park, United States — (13 km S)
- M2.5 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (23 km SSW)
- M2.5 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (25 km SSE)
- M2.1 earthquake near Cantwell, United States — (26 km E)
- M2.4 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (29 km SSE)
- M2.4 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (36 km SSW)
- M3.6 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (42 km SSE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Chase, United States — (44 km ESE)
- M1.4 earthquake near Petersville, United States — (48 km SSW)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M2.8 earthquake near Silver Springs, United States —
- M1.2 earthquake near Tatitlek, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Manley Hot Springs, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Cloverdale, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States —
- M1.2 earthquake near Badger, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Alamo, United States —
- M1.5 earthquake near Johannesburg, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Parkfield, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near San Juan Bautista, United States —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.2 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico —
- M2.3 earthquake near Cloverdale, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near La Parguera, Puerto Rico —
- M1.9 earthquake near San Juan Bautista, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Skwentna, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Skwentna, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near San Jacinto, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Walker Lake, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Denali National Park?
It measured magnitude 2.1 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.1 earthquake radiates roughly 21 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Denali National Park?
The focus was 132 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Denali National Park earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.1 and a focal depth of 132 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Denali National Park happen?
15 October 2026 at 09:52 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 Denali National Park?
24 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 M2.1 event released about 707,946 times less energy than that event.