M3.6 Earthquake near Koyuk, United States — 25 August 2025, 20:24 UTC
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.6 was recorded near Koyuk, United States on , with an epicentre 25 km north of Koyuk, at a focal depth of 7.2 km. It ranked as the 53rd strongest of 7202 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-08-25 20:24:40
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.6 (minor)
Focal depth: 7.2 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 65.1639, -161.1540
Location: 25 km N of Koyuk, Alaska
Country: United States
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 3.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.8 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 200, 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 09:40 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.
This event was deeper than 57% of the 156,299 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 65.1639, -161.1540 — 25 km north of Koyuk. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.9 earthquake 36 km west-northwest of here on 26 April 2025.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Elim (69 km west-northwest), Deering (75 km west-northwest), White Mountain (93 km west) and Shaktoolik (111 km south-southeast).
Why the 7 km depth matters
At 7 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 M3.6 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 seven days after this event.
1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.0 event near Kotzebue on 04 November 2025. This M3.6 event released about 4.0 times less energy than that event.
2 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 0 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 August 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during August 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M2.9 earthquake near Koyuk, United States — (36 km WNW)
- M3.6 earthquake near Koyuk, United States — (41 km W)
- M3.4 earthquake near Elim, United States — (69 km WNW)
- M2.5 earthquake near Shaktoolik, United States — (111 km SSE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Selawik, United States — (120 km NNE)
- M3.6 earthquake near Unalakleet, United States — (143 km SSE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Deering, United States — (145 km NNW)
- M4.0 earthquake near Kotzebue, United States — (166 km NNW)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M0.5 earthquake near Anza, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Susitna, United States —
- M0.7 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Port Lions, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.2 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M2.3 earthquake near Girdwood, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Empire, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M3.7 earthquake near Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, United States —
- M3.4 earthquake near Adak, United States —
- M3.6 earthquake near Adak, United States —
- M3.4 earthquake near Elfin Cove, United States —
- M3.4 earthquake near Little America, United States —
- M3.4 earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.4 earthquake near Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, United States —
- M3.3 earthquake near Gerlach, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Koyuk?
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 Koyuk?
The focus was 7 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Koyuk earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 3.6 and a focal depth of 7 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Koyuk happen?
25 August 2025 at 20:24 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 in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Koyuk?
1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.0 event near Kotzebue on 04 November 2025. This M3.6 event released about 4.0 times less energy than that event.