The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Sitka, the biggest of them M2.3. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Sitka came at 1.7× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Sitka — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.9 of Jan 12, 2024, 07:46 UTC: 69 km WNW of Port Alexander, Alaska.
How we figure this: 2 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 1.2 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Sitka, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Sitka are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Sitka
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-0.3 | 29 km W of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 29, 2026, 05:06 PM | 5 km | 30 km W |
| M0.2 | 27 km WNW of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 28, 2026, 04:46 PM | 6 km | 28 km WNW |
| M0.3 | 18 km W of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 19, 2026, 04:32 AM | 8 km | 19 km W |
| M0.9 | 38 km WNW of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 19, 2026, 12:05 AM | 9 km | 39 km WNW |
| M1.0 | 55 km WNW of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 13, 2026, 11:07 AM | 12 km | 55 km WNW |
| M0.3 | 18 km WSW of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 13, 2026, 09:05 AM | 5 km | 19 km WSW |
| M0.5 | 18 km W of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 11, 2026, 09:17 AM | 7 km | 19 km W |
| M2.3 | 53 km SSW of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 06, 2026, 02:41 AM | 2 km | 54 km SSW |
| M2.0 | 55 km WNW of Sitka, Alaska | Sep 09, 2026, 05:32 PM | 9 km | 56 km WNW |
| M2.0 | 17 km N of Sitka, Alaska | Sep 08, 2026, 02:16 PM | 5 km | 17 km N |
Earthquakes per year near Sitka (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Sitka
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 30 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Sitka (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.9 | 69 km WNW of Port Alexander, Alaska | Jan 12, 2024, 07:46 UTC | 72 km |
| M4.8 | 61 km SW of Sitka, Alaska | Nov 05, 2011, 20:46 UTC | 62 km |
| M4.6 | 39 km SW of Sitka, Alaska | Dec 16, 1998, 05:54 UTC | 39 km |
| M4.5 | 56 km SSW of Pelican, Alaska | Jan 14, 2022, 14:51 UTC | 82 km |
| M4.5 | 27 km W of Port Alexander, Alaska | Jul 09, 2001, 09:26 UTC | 92 km |
| M4.3 | 63 km W of Sitka, Alaska | Oct 11, 1989, 08:50 UTC | 63 km |
| M4.2 | 55 km SW of Sitka, Alaska | Nov 23, 2020, 22:19 UTC | 55 km |
| M4.0 | 86 km WSW of Sitka, Alaska | May 07, 1983, 09:01 UTC | 86 km |
Nearby places
Juneau, AK (149 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.