JUNO, Alaska (AP) – Wednesday's 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit an area that has experienced a small number of powerful earthquakes over the past five years, including a shocking community Almost two years ago.
Officials said they received no reports of injuries or major damage on Thursday Latest EventsThis triggered a tsunami warning that lasted about an hour before being downgraded and prompted the community to extend along the 700-mile (1,127 kilometers) of southern Alaska coast, urging people to move to higher ground. Kara Sterling, head of the National Tsunami Warning Center, said the official maximum wave height of Sand Point, 55 miles (88 kilometers) north of the epicenter, is about 3.9 inches (10 cm). It occurs at low tide.
Earthquake triggers tsunami warning
The earthquake hit 12:37 local time, prompting a tsunami warning in the center.
There are a variety of ways people in warning areas can receive notifications, including sirens in communities that own them, listening to weather broadcasts or Public Broadcastfollow the official account on social media or push alerts via mobile phone. Jeremy Zidek, spokesman for the state’s emergency management department, said in some places local officials will turn the warnings to door-to-door.
The public safety department of King Cove and the Union (Unalaska) sent an alert urging people who were in the coastal areas or who might see flooding to seek a higher position.
The warning issued by the center was downgraded to consultation before it was cancelled around 2:45 pm
Alaska is one of the most active regions in the world
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska is the most susceptible to earthquakes in the United States and one of the most active regions in the world. The agency said the state had a magnitude 7 earthquake almost every year, and the second largest earthquake ever recorded centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. The 9.2 earthquake in 1964 and the tsunami it triggered caused about 130 people.
The Aleutian arc is no stranger to earthquakes, but activities in the area hit by Wednesday caught the attention of scientists. The area has been “lit up” within a few hundred miles of the earthquake since 2020, with Wednesday’s earthquake marking the fifth More than 7.0 levels since 2020state seismologist Michael West said.
“I won't call it an isolated earthquake. It seems to be part of the larger sequence in the past few years,” he said. But West added: “There is no reason to be shocked by it.”
Officials say people should continue to pay attention to warnings.
Zidek said some communities’ buildings were designated as gathering sites on higher ground during tsunami warnings, such as schools, while others may simply urge residents to retreat to the hillside.
“Most of Alaska, most of Alaska gets very steep,” he said.
Sometimes, the only warning is the trembling ground, Zidek said. “If it shakes violently for 20 seconds or more, that's your warning sign, and if you're in the coastal area, you should head to higher ground.”
Zidek and West said people should continue to pay attention to warnings. West said he was concerned about the “burnout effect” of residents in the area, some of whom have evacuated countless times since 2018 to deal with the larger earthquake without causing significant damage.
West said he remembered the 1946 magnitude 8.6 earthquake, west of Wednesday's earthquake – which caused a deadly tsunami and led to the creation of the U.S. tsunami warning system. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the death toll includes more than 150 people in Hawaii.
“I think this region is able to trans-Pacific tsunami, maybe it's the best way to stay alert… maybe it's our deeper history over the past five years,” he said.