M2.4 Earthquake near Happy Valley, Alaska — 29 July 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.4 was recorded near Happy Valley, Alaska on , with an epicentre 9 km southeast of Happy Valley, at a focal depth of 50.0 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-29 16:13:09
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.4 (minor)
Focal depth: 50.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 59.9010, -151.5980
Location: 9 km SE of Happy Valley, Alaska
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 2.4 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 59.9010, -151.5980 — 9 km southeast of Happy Valley. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.7 earthquake 46 km north-northwest of here on 31 July 2026.
Why the 50 km depth matters
At 50 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
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 shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper 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
42 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 3 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.7.
42 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 M2.4 event released about 251,189 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
- M1.7 earthquake near Ninilchik, Alaska — (46 km NNW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Anchor Point, Alaska — (49 km WSW)
- M2.5 earthquake near Ninilchik, Alaska — (50 km NW)
- M1.3 earthquake near Cohoe, Alaska — (53 km N)
- M1.7 earthquake near Kasilof, Alaska — (58 km NE)
- M1.9 earthquake near Nanwalek, Alaska — (61 km SSW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Anchor Point, Alaska — (67 km WSW)
- M1.6 earthquake near Fox River, Alaska — (68 km ENE)
- M1.8 earthquake near Kenai, Alaska — (75 km NNE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Soldotna, Alaska — (78 km NNE)
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- 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 —
- M2.5 earthquake near Chickaloon, 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 Happy Valley?
At 50 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M2.4 earthquake near Happy Valley 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 shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper 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?
42 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 3 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.7.
How often do earthquakes happen near Happy Valley?
42 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 M2.4 event released about 251,189 times less energy than that event.