Latest news with #AlaskaEarthquakeCenter
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
A Surge of Earthquakes in Alaska Is Raising Red Flags
A powerful offshore earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for communities along a 700-mile (1,100-kilometer) stretch of Alaska's southern coast on Wednesday, July 16. Fortunately, the wave never came, and ground shaking caused minimal damage, but another large quake could strike this area in the near future. Since 2020, five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 7.2 to 8.2 have struck the southern coast of Alaska. It's not unusual for seismic activity to occur in this part of the state, as it runs along an active tectonic plate boundary called the Aleutian subduction zone. Still, seeing five large quakes within close range of each other in just five years has captured the attention of seismologists like Michael West, Alaska's state seismologist and director of the Alaska Earthquake Center. West told Gizmodo that the southern coast appears to be experiencing an earthquake sequence. While it's possible that Wednesday's quake was the last in this sequence, it's also possible that more large earthquakes—or even one huge one—could strike within the next few years, he said. 'Five earthquakes is enough to be statistically significant,' West said. 'This area is clearly undergoing a period of strain release while other areas of this particular boundary are—at the moment—a bit more quiet.' Earthquakes occur when accumulated stress along the border between two converging tectonic plates suddenly releases, causing them to slip past each other. Sometimes, one earthquake is enough to relieve the stress on a particular section, but not always. It can take multiple quakes spanning several years to release a significant buildup of stress, which is probably happening on Alaska's southern coast. Wednesday's quake occurred southeast of Sand Point, a small town in the Aleutian Islands. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it resulted from strike-slip faulting—when two tectonic plates slip horizontally past each other—in the Aleutian subduction zone. Seismologists have been keeping a close eye on this part of the plate boundary since the 1980s, when they identified it as an area of accumulating tectonic stress, West said. It took another 40 years for that built-up stress to finally result in seismic activity. 'Starting in 2020, it was like, 'Okay, now it's time for this particular segment to do its thing,'' West said. It's fortunate—and 'remarkable'—that none of the large quakes that have struck this area since 2020 have produced a tsunami, he added. Seismologists know the Aleutian subduction zone is capable of triggering devastating, Pacific-wide tsunamis. In 1946, for example, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake in this plate boundary caused a tsunami that traveled all the way to the shores of Antarctica and killed more than 150 people in Hawaii. The epicenter of that quake was located just 100 miles away from that of Wednesday's quake, West said. The earthquake sequence currently unfolding in this part of the Aleutian subduction zone could lead to a few different scenarios, he explained. If Wednesday's quake released all the accumulated stress in this segment, seismic activity could stall out and remain quiet for decades. Alternatively, it could take several more magnitude 7 to 8 quakes—or a single magnitude 9—to release all the stress. 'The societal consequences are very, very different for those two different paths,' West said. Unlike the relatively inconsequential quakes Alaska's southern coast has experienced in the last five years, a magnitude 9 would be highly likely to produce a dangerous tsunami and damaging ground shaking. Fortunately, 'there are, and long have been, very strong preparedness efforts underway in these communities,' West said. 'Every community near here has been studied for its tsunami inundation potential.' That said, 'we can always do more education,' he added. 'We've always got training to do to help people understand how to use that information, and how to do it quickly. You don't have much time [during] events like this.'
Newsweek
4 days ago
- General
- Newsweek
Alaska Resident Captures Terrifying Moment Home Shakes Amid Earthquake
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A video capturing a home rattling during an earthquake in Alaska has gone viral on TikTok. The clip was shared by @nicoledemoski and has amassed over 741,000 views since it was posted on Thursday. According to text overlaid on the video, the footage was captured on July 16 in the city of King Cove, around 55 miles south of the city of Sand Point in southern Alaska. The clip features a view of a living room setting, with furniture and other items shown to be shaking, including a television mounted on a wall. What appears to be the voice of a child is heard in the background, sounding startled, while another voice says "It's okay...I got you." "Oh my god," the voice later says before the clip cuts to a view of an open field with an aircraft flying past amid sirens in the background. A caption shared with the post says: "7.3 Earthquake, tsunami evacuation, aftershocks... what a day! It's been downgraded from warning to advisory." According to a later video shared by the TikToker, there was no damage to their home or their community. "I'm relieved it wasn't worse," the poster wrote in a caption overlaid on the video. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake took place on Wednesday at 12:37 p.m. local time off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula region, notes the Alaska Earthquake Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The latest earthquake, which struck 55 miles south of Sand Point, was felt over a broad region, extending as far as Anchorage and Juneau, where light shaking was reported. Ground shaking was the strongest in Sand Point, with one resident reporting "objects flying out of the pantry and off of shelves." The shaking was described as mild rolling in the city of Homer, with lamps and plants swaying, according to the earthquake center. "We have not received reports of significant damage in the communities nearest to the epicenter," the center said. A tsunami warning was issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center immediately following the earthquake, before it was downgraded to an advisory around an hour later. Tsunami evacuations were also issued by several communities, including Sand Point, King Cove, Kodiak, Old Harbor, Homer, Seward, and Unalaska. "If an impactful wave had been generated during this event, those communities closest to the epicenter would have had minutes to evacuate," the earthquake center noted. Both the latest earthquake and the previous one in 2023 happened within the previous aftershock zone of the July 2020 M7.8 Simeonof Earthquake that occurred in the same region. "Aftershocks are likely to persist in the foreseeable future," the center warned, noting that the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Aftershock Forecast shows that "at least one magnitude 6 or greater is possible in the next week, and smaller earthquakes are highly likely to continue." The Alaska–Aleutian Megathrust region represents an area of increased seismic activity, the center notes, having experienced five magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes over the past five years. Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified. An aerial view over Sand Point, Alaska. An aerial view over Sand Point, Alaska. Andy Varner/City of Sand Point via AP Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Locals rush to safety as tsunami warning follows 7.3 magnitude Alaska quake
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck south of Sand Point on Popof Island, Alaska, on Wednesday. The quake prompted a tsunami warning for a 700-mile stretch of the Alaskan coast, leading local communities to evacuate to higher ground. The Alaska Earthquake Center recorded 40 aftershocks within three hours of the main tremor. Authorities subsequently downgraded and then canceled the tsunami warning, with no significant damage reported. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Alaska tsunami warning sends community scrambling for high ground after 7.3 magnitude earthquake
A tsunami warning in Alaska has forced local communities to evacuate to higher ground following a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. Footage shared by Jodie Stevens on Thursday (16 July) shows her and other Seward residents walking up a steep hill towards a church as rain plummets down, with Stevens telling the camera: 'Let's pray we don't get waved.' A warning was issued for a 700-mile stretch of the Alaskan coast after the huge quake hit south of Sand Point on Popof Island on Wednesday (15 July). The Alaska Earthquake Center said there were 40 aftershocks within three hours. Officials later downgraded then cancelled the tsunami warning. There were no reports of significant damage.
5 days ago
- Climate
An Alaska tsunami warning had residents scrambling for high ground after 7.3 magnitude earthquake
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Communities along a 700-mile (1,127-km) stretch of Alaska's southern coast ordered residents to higher ground after a powerful offshore earthquake Wednesday, but officials quickly downgraded and then canceled a tsunami warning for the region. There were no reports of significant damage. The earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, struck at 12:37 p.m. local time south of Sand Point, a community of about 600 people on Popof Island, in the Aleutian chain, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. There were 40 aftershocks detected within the first three hours, the center said. 'We have seen other earthquakes in the area that have not generated significant tsunami waves, but we're treating it seriously and going through our procedures, making sure communities are notified so they can activate their evacuation procedures,' said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for Alaska's emergency management division. The quake was felt as far away as Anchorage, almost 600 miles (966 km) to the northeast. The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for an area stretching from about 40 miles (64.4 km) southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass, a distance of about 700 miles (1,126 kilometers). Among the larger communities in the area was Kodiak, with a population of about 5,200. The warning was downgraded to an advisory about an hour later, and canceled just before 2:45 p.m. The highest water level generated by the earthquake in Sand Point was not quite 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) above the tide, the center said. 'There's no damage at the airport, doesn't appear to be any damage at the harbor, no damage to speak of, really,' Sand Point Police Chief Benjamin Allen said. There was some damage — in the form of broken bottles — at the Alaska Commercial general store in town. Manager Vickey McDonald said about half of the store's alcohol aisle had crashed and shattered. 'I've got liquid smoke and barbecue sauce and pickles ... broken on the floor,' McDonald said. "It smells horrendous in here.' In Unalaska, a fishing community of about 4,100, officials urged people in possible inundation zones to move at least 50 feet above sea level or 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. In King Cove, which has about 870 residents on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, officials sent an alert calling on those in the coastal area to move to higher ground. Tourists Jodie Stevens and her husband, Aaron Park, were looking at the puffins at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward when they heard someone yelling that there had been an earthquake and they needed to evacuate. They walked a few blocks uphill in the rain, with a woman from the center yelling to those they passed to get to higher ground. They were about halfway to the official high ground spot when they heard a siren signal that all was clear, she said. The National Weather Service said in posts on social media that there was no tsunami threat for other U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, including Washington, Oregon and California. Alaska's southern coast is earthquake-prone, and Wednesday's was the fifth in roughly the same area since 2020 exceeding magnitude 7, state seismologist Michael West said. 'Something's moving in this area,' he said. 'I would not call this an isolated earthquake. It appears to be part of a larger sequence spanning the last several years.' That has the attention of seismologists, he said. 'This area has been and remains capable of larger earthquakes and earthquakes capable of significant tsunami damage,' he said. ___
