M3.1 Earthquake near Denali Park, United States — 28 September 2026, 13:15 UTC
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.1 was recorded near Denali Park, United States on , with an epicentre 7 km east-northeast of Denali Park, at a focal depth of 114.2 km. It ranked as the 319th strongest of 7034 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-28 13:15:28
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.1 (minor)
Focal depth: 114.2 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 63.7670, -148.7750
Location: 7 km ENE of Denali 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 3.1 earthquake radiates roughly 674 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 148, 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 03:20 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was deeper than 99% of the 159,232 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 97% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 63.7670, -148.7750 — 7 km east-northeast of Denali Park. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.5 earthquake 31 km south-southeast of here on 24 September 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Anderson (80 km northwest), Badger (114 km north-northeast), Cantwell (121 km south) and Buffalo Soapstone (216 km south).
Why the 114 km depth matters
At 114 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, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. 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 M3.1 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 114 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
5 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.9.
12 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Denali National Park on 28 July 2026. This M3.1 event released about 708 times less energy than that event.
601 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 44 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
- M1.5 earthquake near Cantwell, United States — (31 km SSE)
- M2.4 earthquake near Denali Park, United States — (38 km W)
- M1.9 earthquake near Cantwell, United States — (52 km WSW)
- M1.2 earthquake near Ferry, United States — (58 km WNW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Denali Park, United States — (58 km ESE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Cantwell, United States — (60 km SSW)
- M1.5 earthquake near Ferry, United States — (61 km NE)
- M1.2 earthquake near Harding-Birch Lakes, United States — (73 km ENE)
- M2.2 earthquake near Anderson, United States — (82 km NW)
- M1.5 earthquake near Cantwell, United States — (88 km SE)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near Idyllwild, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M1.0 earthquake near Port Alsworth, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Anza, United States —
- M1.4 earthquake near Anza, United States —
- M0.9 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Skwentna, United States —
- M1.3 earthquake near Karluk, United States —
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M3.2 earthquake near Elfin Cove, United States —
- M3.1 earthquake near Preston, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near Eagle Village, United States —
- M3.4 earthquake near La Romana, Dominican Republic —
- M3.3 earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.0 earthquake near Bogue, United States —
- M2.9 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M2.9 earthquake near Chase, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Denali Park?
It measured magnitude 3.1 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.1 earthquake radiates roughly 674 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Denali Park?
The focus was 114 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Denali Park earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 3.1 and a focal depth of 114 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Denali Park happen?
28 September 2026 at 13:15 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
5 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.9.
How often do earthquakes happen near Denali Park?
12 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Denali National Park on 28 July 2026. This M3.1 event released about 708 times less energy than that event.