No injuries or fatalities have been reported due to Alaska earthquake that hit the southern region on Saturday night.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck the south central parts of Alaska knocking off items from the walls and shelves. Alaska earthquake unnerved the residents of the area on Saturday night. Their worries were further amplified by the fact that Alaska is a region which is prone to earthquakes. No extensive damage to person and / or property was reported.
However, one home was severely damaged due to Alaska earthquake when a gas leak was reported in an area. As a precautionary measure, the entire neighborhood was immediately evacuated.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the epicenter of the Alaska earthquake was fifty-three miles west of the Anchor Point within the Kenai Peninsula. The time of the event was 1:30 a.m. The initial USGS reading of the Alaska earthquake was 7.1 magnitude which was downgraded to 6.8, however, it was again raised back to 6.8.
Michael West, the state seismologist of Alaska said that some earthquakes pose serious challenges since they are either very unusual or hard to monitor. He further added that the recent Alaska earthquake was neither. The Southern part of Alaska is very well instrumented since this kind of earthquakes are usually expected here.
The recent Alaska earthquake is being regarded as the strongest in this region of the state during the past few decades. However, other parts of Alaska have seen more powerful shakings. Only last year, there was an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 in the region of Aleutians.
The recent Alaska earthquake was important in the sense that it was close to the settled population within the state. The aftershocks of this quake will probably continue to felt for weeks. The most powerful aftershock was felt on Sunday. Its magnitude was 4.7. It is believed that magnitude 5 and 6 aftershocks can also hit the region.
There was a gas leak due to earthquake that resulted in an explosion in a home. The entire community of around 30 households was evacuated from Kenai. An officer quickly extinguished the fire in the house but flames could be seen under a wall. The officer backed out and made way for the firefighters so that they could do their work.
The house beside the one that had caught fire exploded after the Alaska earthquake. Fortunately, all the firefighters were out of the area so there were no fatalities or injuries reported due to this incident. The gas issue was still being resolved.
A shelter had been immediately set up for the evacuees. There were at least twenty people in the shelter. The earthquakes were felt in Achorage too. But the police in the areas said that there were no reports of damage due to the incident.
Scattered power outages have also been reported in Alaska due to the earthquake. Thousands of consumers were left without electricity in the Kenai Peninsula early on Sunday.
