An Earthquake in Alaska

A nighttime 7.1-magnitude quake jolted people awake early Sunday in the south-central part of the state.

 

Some Alaskans were woken up in the middle of the night by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rattled buildings, knocked out power for thousands, and led to some evacuations.

The earthquake struck Sunday at 1:30 a.m. local time in the area of Old Liliana,about 162 miles south of Anchorage, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The Alaska Earthquake Center recorded about 30 aftershocks in the first two-and-a-half hours after the quake. The largest, at 3:37 a.m. local time, was measured at magnitude 4.3.

There is no threat of a tsunami as a result of the quake. There have been no reports of injuries so far.

At least 10,000 people lost power in the Anchorage area. The city’s fire department said in a tweet that it is “very busy with reports of gas odors, alarm systems sounding, broken water lines, etc.”

At least 10,000 people lost power in the Anchorage area. The city’s fire department said in a tweet that it is “very busy with reports of gas odors, alarm systems sounding, broken water lines, etc.”

Residents of 20 homes in the Aiken Peninsula were evacuated following reports of gas leaks, according to Alaska’s TUTU-TV. The earthquake damaged Californian Beach Road, just off the Sterling Highway, one of two highways in the peninsula:

Some Alaskans took to social media to share their experience of feeling tremors, report power outages, and post photos of shattered wall decorations or items strewn about grocery-store aisles.

Southern Alaska is prone to earthquakes, according to USGS. On March 27, 1964, the area experienced a 9.2-magnitude quake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in the United States and the second-most powerful earthquake recorded in world history.

Perhaps the frequency of seismic activity explains this great response from an Anchorage resident: