Earthquakes in the history 0f United States of America

In the United States of America, earthquakes of the most extreme strength occur. In the case of earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 9.0, destruction and devastation can occur within a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. Measured against the size of the country, earthquakes occur very rarely.

Since 1950, more than 310 people have been killed by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 46 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.

December 21st:Severe earthquake

December 21st, 2023 in the morning , a devastating earthquake occurred 107 km southeast of Adak (Alaska at 08:55 local time. The quake had a magnitude of 6.1 points on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of about 30 kilometers. Several aftershocks occurred during the following hours. Three of them with a magnitude of over 2.5. The most severe aftershock had a magnitude of 5.0. Such violent earthquakes occur only rarely. It is the strongest earthquake in the United States of America in over 3 months.

Most Recent Hits

This list of the strongest earthquakes occurred in or around the United States of America by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past 14 days. The events listed here are depends largely on its magnitude, And also on its distance from inhabited areas. All data refer to the local time.

Dec. 21, 8:19 pm Magnitude 4.1: 89 km southeast of Adak, Alaska at a depth of 51.34 km.
Dec. 21, 10:28 am
Magnitude 5.0: 116 km southeast of Adak, Alaska at a depth of 25.98 km.
Dec. 21, 8:03 am
Magnitude 4.6: 116 km southeast of Adak, Alaska at a depth of 30.72 km.
Dec. 21, 5:55 am
Magnitude 6.1: 107 km southeast of Adak (Alaska at a depth of 30.09 km. Tsunami warning!
Dec. 19, 5:04 pm
Magnitude 4.3: 130 km southwest of Adak, Alaska at a depth of 39.88 km.
Dec. 19, 4:54 pm
Magnitude 4.7: 130 km southwest of Adak, Alaska at a depth of 20.53 km.
Dec. 18, 7:02 pm
Magnitude 4.4: Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska at a depth of 126.08 km.
Dec. 17, 1:34 pm
Magnitude 3.9: 93 km south of Carlsbad (New Mexico) at a depth of 6.8 km.
Dec. 16, 10:24 am
Magnitude 4.7: 39 km east of Port Alsworth, Alaska at a depth of 191.30 km. Tsunami warning!
Dec. 12, 11:32 am
Magnitude 4.3: 91 km southwest of Atka, Alaska at a depth of 26 km.

Displacement of plates at the Ring of Fire

In the U.S., seismic activity concentrates in sparsely populated areas along the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea islands. Notably, the densely populated San Andreas Fault, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, stretches over 1000 km through California.The Pacific plate, with its oceanic crust, subducts under the North American plate, causing tectonic stresses in subduction zones. This interaction results in regular seismic activity.

Earthquakes in the history 0f United States of America since 1950.

The most powerful earthquake in U.S. history occurred on 03/28/1964 in the Alaska region, registering a magnitude of 9.2 on the Richter scale. This seismic event triggered a devastating tsunami, causing additional casualties and widespread destruction.