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M3.8 Earthquake near Chignik Lake, United States — 03 September 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.8 was recorded near Chignik Lake, United States on , with an epicentre 68 km northwest of Chignik Lake, at a focal depth of 196.4 km. It ranked as the 81st strongest of 7766 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

3.8 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-09-03 11:26:32

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.8 (minor)

Focal depth: 196.4 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 56.6840, -159.5530

Location: 68 km NW of Chignik Lake, 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 3.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 222, 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 00:48 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 100% of the 153,084 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 56.6840, -159.5530 — 68 km northwest of Chignik Lake. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.1 earthquake 54 km south of here on 18 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Chignik Lagoon (73 km southeast), Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (78 km south), Chignik Lake (97 km southeast) and Cold Bay (144 km southwest).

Why the 196 km depth matters

At 196 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 M3.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 196 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

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.2 event near Sand Point on 20 July 2025. This M3.8 event released about 3,981 times less energy than that event.

467 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 23 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

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 Chignik Lake?

It measured magnitude 3.8 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Chignik Lake?

The focus was 196 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Chignik Lake earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.8 and a focal depth of 196 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Chignik Lake happen?

03 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 Chignik Lake?

11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.2 event near Sand Point on 20 July 2025. This M3.8 event released about 3,981 times less energy than that event.