The December 16, 1997 earthquake
M6.6Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake 12.4 miles deep, 20.2 miles off Aleutians West Census Area. The 151st strongest in Alaska’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 6.7 on March 25, 1997. 8 aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or more followed within 30 days.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- moment magnitude (mwc)
- Depth
- 12.4 mi
- 20.0 km below the surface
- Local time
- Tuesday, December 16, 1997
- 18:38 HST; 04:38 UTC on Dec 17, 1997
- In Alaska’s record
- 151st
- strongest of 124,625 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event usp0008cs8 (“Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Aftershocks
Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 20 miles of the epicentre in the 30 days after.
8
Aftershocks in 30 days
5.6
Largest aftershock, Dec 26, 1997
4
On the first day
0
In the 7 days before
- The search radius is the surface rupture length expected for an earthquake of this magnitude (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994), at least 20 and at most 600 miles, so a great earthquake's sequence is counted along its whole fault.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- Aleutians West Census AreaAK · 20.2 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
2,491 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first
- February 3, 1965M8.7
- February 3, 1965M7.4
- February 6, 1916M7.0
- March 21, 1996M6.8
- March 25, 1997M6.7
- April 26, 1930M6.7
- September 4, 1977M6.6
- October 28, 1958M6.6
- March 27, 1940M6.6
- August 3, 1960M6.5
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.