A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck the Alaska Peninsula region on July 16 today, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The Earthquake, which occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 9.3 km (5.78 mi), caused the US Tsunami Warning System to issue a tsunami warning for the Pacific regions near the quake.
The Alaska Earthquake Center stated that the tremors were widely felt in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska Peninsula, and Cook Inlet regions. Adding to the concern, the eruption of the Shishaldin volcano intensified, leading to an ash plume reaching 15,000 feet (4.6 km) above sea level and moving to the SSE.
The National Weather Service issued a SIGMET for this activity, and seismic tremor amplitudes have increased since around 5:00 p.m. m. AKDT.
The earthquake’s potential for a tsunami warning brought back memories of the devastating 1964 earthquake in Alaska, which had a reported magnitude of 9.2. That earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that caused widespread destruction with waves reaching 70 meters in height.
Warning issued for Anchorage
Officials have issued a warning for Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city with a population of more than 200,000. Residents reported receiving emergency alerts on their cell phones, raising some concerns. Authorities clarified that the tsunami warning applies only to the cities of Sand Point and Kodiak, and they assured Homer residents that they do not need to evacuate their homes.
One said: “Did anyone else just get an emergency alert for tsunami in Anchorage like my cell phone did? Interesting.”
Another commented: “I got a tsunami alert for Anchorage about five minutes ago.”
Contrary to the situation in Alaska, the Australian authorities have confirmed that there is no tsunami threat to their country. A significant number of earthquakes are known to be experienced by Alaska, accounting for 11 percent of the world’s recorded earthquakes.
On average, the state witnesses a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake every one to two years, and a magnitude 8 or greater earthquake occurs approximately every 13 years, as reported by the US Geological Survey.
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