The January 27, 1999 earthquake

M6.6near Nikolski, Alaska

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake 41.8 miles deep, 2.7 miles off Aleutians West Census Area. The 151st strongest in Alaska’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 6.8 on January 5, 1987. 1 aftershock of magnitude 2.5 or more followed within 30 days.

The earthquake

Magnitude
6.6
moment magnitude (mwc)
Depth
41.8 mi
67.2 km below the surface
Local time
Wednesday, January 27, 1999
23:10 AKST; 08:10 UTC on Jan 28, 1999
Epicentre
52.89°N, 169.12°W
2.7 mi from Aleutians West Census Area
In Alaska’s record
151st
strongest of 124,625 since 1900
Within 50 miles
1
county; more on this date

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event usp00091uc (“18 km WSW of Nikolski, 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.

1

Aftershocks in 30 days

3.0

Largest aftershock, Jan 28, 1999

1

On the first day

0

In the 7 days before

Aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or more, by day after the earthquake 1: 1 1 2: 0 3: 0 4: 0 5: 0 6: 0 7: 0 8: 0 9: 0 10: 0 11: 0 12: 0 13: 0 14: 0 15: 0 16: 0 17: 0 18: 0 19: 0 20: 0 21: 0 22: 0 23: 0 24: 0 25: 0 26: 0 27: 0 28: 0 29: 0 30: 0 1611162126
  1. 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

Earthquakes around the epicentre

2,661 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of the epicentre, by year 1973: 18 1974: 17 1975: 11 1976: 8 1977: 7 1978: 8 1979: 7 1980: 11 1981: 13 1982: 11 1983: 2 1984: 12 1985: 11 1986: 13 1987: 18 1988: 10 1989: 8 1990: 13 1991: 7 1992: 16 1993: 7 1994: 13 1995: 5 1996: 47 1997: 10 1998: 37 1999: 24 2000: 5 2001: 21 2002: 21 2003: 43 2004: 22 2005: 34 2006: 64 2007: 44 2008: 28 2009: 31 2010: 921 921 2011: 88 2012: 63 2013: 38 2014: 37 2015: 166 2016: 72 2017: 52 2018: 54 2019: 50 2020: 101 2021: 66 2022: 67 2023: 78 2024: 60 2025: 71 19731978198319881993199820032008201320182023

Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.