ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska experienced back-to-back moderate earthquakes early Saturday, with tremors striking both the Arctic Ocean and the Aleutian Islands within just a few hours — more than 1,400 miles apart.
The first, a magnitude 5.3, struck beneath the Beaufort Sea at 10:34 p.m. AKDT Friday (06:34 UTC Saturday), about 250 miles north of Utqiaġvik, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center. It originated at a shallow depth of 7.7 kilometers but was far offshore, producing no reports of shaking or damage along Alaska’s North Slope.
Roughly four hours later, at 2:13 a.m. AKDT Saturday (10:13 UTC), a magnitude 5.0 quake struck 51 kilometers southeast of Adak in the central Aleutian Islands, at a depth of 52.6 kilometers. Residents on Adak reported light shaking (Intensity IV), though no injuries or damage occurred.
The Alaska Earthquake Center said the events were not connected, noting the Beaufort Sea quake stemmed from intraplate stress within the Arctic crust, while the Adak event originated along the Pacific subduction zone, where quakes are more common.
The USGS aftershock forecast gives a 5% chance of another quake of similar magnitude near Adak in the coming week. No tsunami warnings were issued.
Officials reminded residents statewide to check emergency kits, review response plans, and secure heavy items, as Alaska remains one of the most seismically active regions on Earth.
