Anchorage, Alaska — In the overnight hours leading into Saturday, Alaska registered two moderate earthquakes just a few hours apart, with one rumbling beneath the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic and the other near the central Aleutian Islands. The events occurred more than 1,400 miles apart.
The first quake, a magnitude 5.3, struck at 10:34 p.m. AKDT on Friday (06:34 UTC Saturday) under the Beaufort Sea, about 250 miles north of Utqiaġvik, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center. The temblor originated at a shallow depth of 7.7 kilometers and was far offshore, leading to no reports of felt shaking or damage along the North Slope.
Roughly four hours later, at 2:13 a.m. AKDT Saturday (10:13 UTC), a magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit 51 kilometers southeast of Adak in the central Aleutians at a depth of 52.6 kilometers. Residents on Adak reported light shaking, rated Intensity IV, but there were no injuries or damage.
Seismologists at the Alaska Earthquake Center said the two quakes were unrelated. The Beaufort Sea event was linked to intraplate stress within the Arctic crust, while the Adak earthquake occurred along the Pacific subduction zone, a region known for frequent seismic activity.
The USGS aftershock outlook estimates about a 5% chance of another quake of similar magnitude near Adak in the coming week. No tsunami alerts were issued.
Officials encouraged Alaskans statewide to revisit emergency plans, check disaster supply kits, and secure heavy or hazardous items at home and work, noting that Alaska remains one of the most seismically active places on the planet.
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