M3.0 Earthquake near Akhiok, United States — 14 September 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.0 was recorded near Akhiok, United States on , with an epicentre 75 km south of Akhiok, at a focal depth of 10.3 km. It ranked as the 362nd strongest of 7717 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-14 11:26:08
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.0 (minor)
Focal depth: 10.3 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 56.2670, -154.2110
Location: 75 km S of Akhiok, 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 3.0 earthquake radiates roughly 477 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 138, 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 01:09 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was deeper than 71% of the 155,869 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 96% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 56.2670, -154.2110 — 75 km south of Akhiok. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.1 earthquake 25 km south-southwest of here on 28 August 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Akhiok (169 km south) and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (181 km north-northwest).
Why the 10 km depth matters
At 10 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, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper 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 M3.0 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.
19 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Akhiok on 13 February 2025. This M3.0 event released about 15,849 times less energy than that event.
78 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 13 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
- M3.1 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (25 km SSW)
- M2.7 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (43 km N)
- M2.4 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (43 km SSW)
- M2.4 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (53 km NE)
- M1.8 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (64 km NW)
- M1.6 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (69 km NNW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (71 km NNW)
- M2.1 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (74 km N)
- M2.1 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (75 km WNW)
- M3.2 earthquake near Akhiok, United States — (78 km E)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M2.7 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Chickaloon, United States —
- M1.4 earthquake near Woodside, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Cobb, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Arvin, United States —
- M0.5 earthquake near Palomar Observatory, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Denali National Park, United States —
- M1.3 earthquake near Denali Park, United States —
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.7 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Atka, United States —
- M3.2 earthquake near Culebra, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Nikiski, United States —
- M3.3 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near False Pass, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near Vieques, Puerto Rico —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Akhiok?
It measured magnitude 3.0 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.0 earthquake radiates roughly 477 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Akhiok?
The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Akhiok earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 3.0 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Akhiok happen?
14 September 2026 at 11:26 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 Akhiok?
19 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Akhiok on 13 February 2025. This M3.0 event released about 15,849 times less energy than that event.