Strong M6.5 earthquake hits Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands

Epicenter of M6.5 earthquake in Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska on September 17, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google The epicenter was located 162 km (101 miles) WSW of Nikolski (population 18), 1 494 km (929 miles) SSE of Anadyr (population 15 604), 1 595 km (991 miles) SW of Anchorage (population 291 247), 1 616 km (1 004 miles) SW of Eagle River (population 24 793), and 1 624 km (1 009 miles) SW of Knik-Fairview (population 14 923), Alaska region. A tsunami is not expected from this earthquake, according to the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center. The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage. There are likely to be no affected structures in this region. According to USGS, there is a 43% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5, which can be damaging, within the next week. There will likely be smaller aftershocks within the next week, with up to 680 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks. Magnitude 3 and higher aftershocks are large enough to be felt nearby. At the time of this forecast, there have been 0 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks, which are strong enough to be felt nearby, and 0 magnitude 5 or higher aftershocks, which are large enough to do damage. Epicenter of M6.5 earthquake in Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska on September 17, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google Regional seismicity References: 1 M6.5 earthquake 163 km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska – USGS – September 17, 2026 2 M6.5 earthquake Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands – EMSC – September 17, 2026 Teo Blašković I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers. news.