M3.0 Earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — 29 July 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.0 was recorded near King Cove, Alaska on , with an epicentre 281 km south-southeast of King Cove, at a focal depth of 18.8 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-29 18:05:09
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.0 (minor)
Focal depth: 18.8 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 52.6050, -161.2920
Location: 281 km SSE of King Cove, 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 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.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 52.6050, -161.2920 — 281 km south-southeast of King Cove. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.1 earthquake 6 km north-northwest of here on 21 November 2025.
Why the 19 km depth matters
At 19 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.
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 in the 3 days since this event.
78 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M3.0 event released about 2.8 million 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
- M4.1 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (6 km NNW)
- M4.1 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (19 km NNW)
- M2.8 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (48 km NNW)
- M3.8 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (52 km N)
- M3.6 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (54 km NE)
- M3.0 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (60 km NW)
- M4.2 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (65 km NW)
- M2.7 earthquake near King Cove, Alaska — (65 km NNW)
- M2.7 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (67 km NW)
- M3.4 earthquake near False Pass, Alaska — (69 km NW)
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M3.0 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M2.7 earthquake near Point Possession, Alaska —
- M2.8 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
- M2.7 earthquake near Garden City, Texas —
- M3.3 earthquake near Suárez, Puerto Rico —
- M3.3 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.0 earthquake near Palomar Observatory, CA —
- M2.9 earthquake near Gilroy, CA —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 3.0 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.
How deep was the earthquake near King Cove?
At 19 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 M3.0 earthquake near King Cove felt?
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.
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 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.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 3 days since this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near King Cove?
78 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Sand Point on 16 July 2025. This M3.0 event released about 2.8 million times less energy than that event.