Powerful 5.9 earthquake rattles Alaska

Powerful 5.9 earthquake rattles Southcentral Alaska.

Southcentral Alaska was shaken by a strong 5.9 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday. Fortunately, no lives have been reported as being lost and no damage has been reported.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit at 1.42pm Alaska Standard Time. The epicentre of the quake was located near the Iliamna volcano and around 220 kilometres away from the largest city in the state.

The USGS confirmed that the depth of the quake came in at 158 kilometres. People took to the USGS portal to report feeling the quake in places as far away as Fairbanks, Kodiak and Valdez.

Speaking to the Anchorage Daily News Seismologist Lea Gardine from the Alaska Earthquake Centre confirmed that no damage had been reported straight after the quake.

She commented: “This one was on the deeper side,”

“If it was more shallow, it definitely would have (caused damage), but it’s not uncommon for ones of this size, at this depth, to not cause any significant damage.”

She went on to add: “There will be aftershocks,”

“But usually on average they tend to be about a magnitude unit lower than the main shock. Again, that’s an average and they could be the same size or very close to. … It’s definitely possible in the coming days to week that there’ll be a magnitude 4 that will be felt.”

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