There were 39,836 seismic events in Alaska and nearby regions in 2024, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center’s newly released 2024 Alaska Seismicity Summary.
Seismic events that struck Alaska and neighboring areas in 2024 are shown in this map. Although there were fewer events than in preceding years, Alaska remains one of the world’s most seismically active regions, and there were nearly 40,000 events throughout the year Alaska, one of the world’s most seismically active locations, just completed a relatively quiet year for earthquakes but a busy year for landslides in the Southcentral region, according to an annual report issued by seismic experts at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
There were 39,836 seismic events in Alaska and nearby regions in 2024, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center’s newly released That is about 5,700 fewer than in 2023 and about 15,000 fewer than in 2018, when a record was set, according to the center. Still, there wereThe year’s seismic record was notable because, for the first time since the major Nov. 30, 2018, earthquake that damaged the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough areas, there were no detected aftershocks from thatthat struck on July 21, 2020, off the Alaska Peninsula, the report said. The most powerful of those was measured at magnitude 5.6. The most powerful earthquakes in 2024 were two magnitude-6.3 events that occurred as part of a swarm of quakes that struck the central Aleutians in early December, the report said. The first of the magnitude-6.3 quakes occurred on Dec. 8 in the Andreanof Islands region, and the second occurred the following day, the report said. Earthquakes reported in the Alaska earthquake catalog over the past 10 years are shown in this graph. The highest number of events, about 55,000, was in 2018. While there were fewer earthquakes detected in 2024 than in past years, a relatively new effort at the center has resulted in stepped-up monitoring of landslides in a region considered to be at elevated risk: Prince William Sound. That program uses an array of instruments to track the seismic signals of landslides, which are different from those produced by earthquakes. Seismic detections of landslides are followed by visual confirmation, under the new system. In 2024, the monitoring system identified 31 landslides, including some events that produced localized tsunamis. Five separate landslides occurred within the span of about an hour on Sept. 20 at Surprise Glacier, which is near Harriman Fjord in Prince William Sound. Together, they produced over 3.5 million cubic meters of debris, or 4.6 million cubic yards, the report said. They also produced a small but measurable tsunami, at 4 centimeters, or a little over 1.5 inches, the report said. A more significant tsunami resulted from an Aug. 7 landslide at Pederson Lagoon southwest of Seward. It dumped about 2 million cubic meters of material and generated aof about 17 meters, or nearly 56 feet, that damaged boardwalks at a local lodge and reached a Kenai National Park campsite, the report said. Another cluster of landslides detected by the instruments was at Denali National Park and Preserve, the report said. Other slides were detected elsewhere in Southcentral Alaska, mostly in coastal regions. The landslide monitoring program is still being developed, said Elisabeth Nadin of the Alaska Earthquake Center. The hope is to have a The seismic-detection program is limited to an approximately 200-mile radius, so it does not cover the vast majority of Southeast Alaska. It was not used for the Aug. 25 Surprise Cove before and after the Sept. 20, 2024, series of landslides, as seen in satellite images. The debris that slid off the slope crashed partially onto the glacier, breaking free ice that filled the bay. Surprise Cove is in Prince William Sound, a region vulnerable to landslides and the tsunamis they cause. is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on
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