The Surprising Locations of US Earthquakes in 2022

By May of 2022 earthquake activity has been a bit surprising. Numerous significant earthquakes have appeared in the United States in some perhaps unusual places. The USGS loosely defines & describes significant as “a combination of magnitude, number of Did You Feel It responses, and PAGER alert level.” This blog post is simply a list of those significant earthquake events so far in 2022.

Signficant US Earthquakes in 2022 through May:

Below are a list of some of these locations in the United States, as measured by the USGS. Ordered by date:

Jan 11th, 2022: 100km Southeast of Nikolski, Alaska – Magnitude 6.8, 20km deep

Jan 11th, 2022: 53km Southeast of Nikolski, Alaska – Magnitude 6.6, 19km deep

Jan 13th, 2022: 23km East Southeast of Anza, California – Magnitude 3.9, 14km deep

Jan 21st, 2022: 48km Northwest of Ninilchik, Alaska – Magnitude 5.1, 115km deep

Jan 22nd, 2022: 71km South of Unalaska, Alaska – Magnitude 6.2, 29km deep

Jan 25th, 2022: 10km North by Northeast of Wailua, Hawaii – Magnitude 4.7, 41km deep

Jan 30th, 2022: 5km West by Southwest of Palomar Observatory, California – Magnitude 4.0, 13km deep

Feb 1st, 2022: 1km Southeast of South Gate, California – Magnitude 3.3, 15km deep

Feb 6th, 2022: 72km South of Cantwell, Alaska, Magnitude 5.2, 61km deep

Feb 11th, 2022: 10km Northwest of Santa Paula, California, Magnitude 3.9, 18km deep

Feb 27th, 2022: 10km Northwest of Santa Paula, California, Magnitude 4.0, 19km deep

March 3rd, 2022: 21km South by Southeast of Waimea, Hawaii, Magnitude 4.5, 23km deep

April 29, 2022: 1km South by Southwest of Peerless Park, Missouri, Magnitude 2.8, 7km deep

May 9th, 2022: Outside of Columbia, South Carolina, Magnitude 3.3, 3km deep

All of this information came right from USGS. Some numbers have been rounded to make it simpler and because we were lazy.

This list is through just May 11th 2022. Therefore it encapulates the months of just: Jan, Feb, March, April, and a small amount of May,

Observations & Opinions on 2022 Quakes:

For obvious reasons this sample size is not large enough to come up with any scientific opinions. Nor is this site a science website [its all about insurance here.] However there are several interesting observations here in just a four and a half month time period in one given year.

There are 14 incidents deemed Significant:

Five are in Alaska, the largest US State.

Two are in Hawaii, arguably the most isolated US State.

Five are in California, all Southern California. None in Northern California.

One is in South Carolina.

And One is in Missouri.

There were no “signficant” incidents in Washington or Oregon.

Taken together half of all of these quakes are outside of what is considered the continental US: Seven of 14. Alaska racks up the two most dangerous magnitude 6 quakes. California, which is frequently considered the most dangeous from an earthquake perspective, received five such events, out of 14. Oregon and Washington which are also considered the most dangerous US states had none.

Two different earthquakes separated by two weeks [16 days] seemed very similar outside of Santa Paula, California. Similar magnitude and very similar depth.

Lastly 12 of the 14 incidents of “significant” earthquakes happened on the Western Half of the United States. 13 if you were to include Missouri. The left or western half of the US is certainly more seimically active during this limited time period.

Lastly two of the earthquakes happened in areas most people do not consider quake centers. Although the Missouri location, we will speak about in another post at another time. South Carolina though?

What is Magnitude?

“Magnitude is a number that characterizes the relative size of an earthquake. Magnitude is based on measurement of the maximum motion recorded by a seismograph.” USGS simple definition of magnitude. That of course is the simpler definition of it. It can be much more complex. The USGS is pretty good that way. Below is a graphic of of the magnitude scale to assist:

Please note that Magnitude should not be confused with ther Mercalli Scale.

What is the Pager Earthquake Impact Scale?

Again this is based on USGS’s information. “PAGER uses a new Earthquake Impact Scale (EIS) that is based on two complementary criteria. The first criterion is the estimated cost of damage; this is most suitable for domestic events and those in earthquake-resistant communities. The second criterion, representing estimated ranges of fatalities, is generally more appropriate for global events, particularly in countries with vulnerable buildings and infrastructure.”

What do these Suprising Earthquakes Tell us for the Long Term?

Frankly not that much. Just because you have 4 or 5 months of earthquakes in certain locations – does not predict future quake location or activity. But the locations are interesting in that they demonstrate that lots of earthquakes happen in Hawaii and Alaska. It also reminds us that earthquakes happen in areas that many Americans would not expect.

What Does this Tell Us About Earthquake Insurance?

Its rather difficult to say what this tells us much about Earthquake Insurance. In some ways this could argue that it might be less needed. However another way of looking at it suggests more people should purchase quake coverage. And not just those living in California.

In all instances it is suggested that you speak with a licensed insurance agent when considering earthquake insurance. Buying, Changing, Cancelling, etc – any change or inquiry about earthquake insurance should be presented to a licensed agent.