Anchorage Earthquake Spans 175 Mile Radius, 5.8 In Magnitude, Details
An earthquake was reportedly felt over a 175-mile radius from Alaska on Monday. Fortunately, no damages have been reported as of yet.
The Alaska and West Coast Tsunami Warning Center stated that the natural disaster was 5.8 in magnitude and occurred at roughly 4:45 p.m. It was centered around 30 miles northwest of Anchorage.
Anchorage police spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker said he felt the earthquake at his residence in Wasilla, which is about 40 miles north of Anchorage.
"No reports of damage thus far. Just a little shaker-upper," he told Yahoo.
Fortunately for the state of Alaska, there have been no reports of any building collapses or severe structural damage, Parker stated.
According to the site, Karen Whitworth, an online gallery artist, was inside her Wasilla Studio when the shaking from the earthquake began. During the ordeal, she reportedly felt lightheaded and lost her equilibrium.
Although her paintings were allegedly moving along the wall and the blinds on her windows were swaying from side to side, she said that no damage had been caused. While the shaking seemingly lingered for over a minute, Whitworth stated that she remained in her chair, but said that her husband put their son and daughter under a door for safety.
Interesting enough, Alaska is the site of the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America. On Good Friday in 1964, a quake with a magnitude of 9.2 hit 75 miles east of Anchorage on the Prince William Sound. The natural disaster and an ensuing tsunami were the cause of 115 deaths in Alaska and 16 in California.
In general, Alaska is considered to be seismically active and known to have frequent earthquakes. However, most of them are too small or remote to be noticeable.
