Magnitude 2.5 - 62 miles S of Port Alexander

Tectonic Setting of Southeast Alaska

Earthquakes in Southeast Alaska have shallow depths and are generally located along the Queen Charlotte and Fairweather faults, both of which are major transform plate boundaries. The Queen Charlotte fault runs between the Pacific and North American plates, while the Fairweather Fault runs between the Yakutat and North American plates. The entire length of this fault system ruptured in major earthquakes over the past 90 years. The most significant event was a 1949 M8.1 earthquake that began in British Columbia and ruptured both south and north for a total of about 300 miles, crossing the border with Alaska. Other significant events in the region were the 1927 M7.1 event north of Sitka, 1958 M7.7 Lituya Bay, 1972 M7.6 Sitka and the M7.5 2013 Craig earthquakes. The 2013 Craig Earthquake re-ruptured the northernmost part of the 1949 rupture zone.