M2.4 Earthquake near Adak, Alaska — 16 July 2026, 14:18 UTC
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.4 was recorded near Adak, Alaska on , with an epicentre 180 km west-southwest of Adak, at a focal depth of 72.7 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-16 14:18:16
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.4 (minor)
Focal depth: 72.7 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 51.5150, -179.1740
Location: 180 km WSW of Adak, Alaska
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
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 2.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 89, 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 51.5150, -179.1740 — 180 km west-southwest of Adak. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.5 earthquake 12 km south-southeast of here on 27 July 2026.
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.
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 M2.4 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
16 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.5.
48 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.5 event near Adak on 21 September 2025. This M2.4 event released about 44,668 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 July 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M2.5 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (12 km SSE)
- M2.1 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (15 km SSE)
- M1.5 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (18 km E)
- M3.0 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (21 km NNE)
- M2.3 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (21 km NNE)
- M2.8 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (23 km NNE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (30 km NE)
- M1.0 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (33 km NE)
- M1.2 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (34 km NE)
- M0.7 earthquake near Adak, Alaska — (37 km NE)
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.1 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M2.3 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M2.5 earthquake near Ninilchik, Alaska —
- M2.6 earthquake near Mina, Nevada —
- M2.3 earthquake near Nile, Washington —
- M2.4 earthquake near Leilani Estates, Hawaii —
- M2.7 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
- M2.5 earthquake near Skwentna, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 2.4 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 2.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Adak?
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.
Was the M2.4 earthquake near Adak 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 M2.4 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?
16 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.5.
How often do earthquakes happen near Adak?
48 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.5 event near Adak on 21 September 2025. This M2.4 event released about 44,668 times less energy than that event.