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M3.6 Earthquake near Chitina, United States — 20 March 2026, 01:08 UTC

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.6 was recorded near Chitina, United States on , with an epicentre 61 km north-northeast of Chitina, at a focal depth of 750.0 km. It ranked as the 165th strongest of 7728 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

3.6 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-03-20 01:08:23

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.6 (minor)

Focal depth: 750.0 km (deep)

Epicentre: 62.0010, -143.9020

Location: 61 km NNE of Chitina, 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 3.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.8 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 199, 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 15:32 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 100% of the 155,866 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 62.0010, -143.9020 — 61 km north-northeast of Chitina. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.9 earthquake 8 km west-northwest of here on 10 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Chistochina (19 km north-northwest), Gakona (55 km west-northwest), Copperville (86 km west) and Glennallen (90 km west).

Why the 750 km depth matters

At 750 km this was a deep-focus earthquake, occurring well inside the subducting slab rather than in the crust. Deep events are rarely damaging even at large magnitudes, though they can be felt over very long distances.

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 deep focus normally weakens surface shaking while spreading perceptible motion over a broad area.

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 M3.6 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 750 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

4 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.7.

0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.9 event near Paxson on 19 November 2025. This M3.6 event released about 2.8 times less energy than that event.

97 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 5 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 March 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during March 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in the United States

All recorded earthquakes in the United States →

Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 3 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Chitina?

It measured magnitude 3.6 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.8 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Chitina?

The focus was 750 km below the surface, which counts as deep.

Was the Chitina earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.6 and a focal depth of 750 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Chitina happen?

20 March 2026 at 01:08 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

4 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.7.

How often do earthquakes happen near Chitina?

0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.9 event near Paxson on 19 November 2025. This M3.6 event released about 2.8 times less energy than that event.