Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Hits Alaska, No Immediate Damage Reported
Parts of southern Alaska were rattled by a magnitude-6.2 earthquake that struck Thursday morning.
Anchorage was one of the regions in The Last Frontier state that was shaken up by the quake, however authorities said that the quake did not cause any major damage or injuries.
The Alaska Earthquake Information Center reported that the quake, which hit at 9:51 a.m. local time, shook for 10 seconds and was centered about 80 miles northwest of Anchorage and 60 miles west northwest of Willow. Residents also felt it in Fairbanks, which is about 235 miles away, along with Kodiak, Valdez and Seward, which are more than 300 miles away, reports USA Today.
Although the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the shaking to be moderate, some people close to the epicenter said that they felt strong shaking.
"It was strong. I've lived here all my life. This one felt very long. It was very drawn out," said Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Castro, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Kikkan Randall, a cross-country skier who competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics, also tweeted from Anchorage about the quake, writing "Quite an earthquake this am in AK! Shook for over a minute, all the picture frames on the floor but the globe is ok!"
"It was the earth rolling. It looked like I had double vision going on. Little bit of a vertigo," added Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters, reports Reuters.
U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan's news conference was also interrupted by the temblor.
Fortunately, the National Weather Service reported that the tremor would not lead to a tsunami.
"It was a pretty long earthquake," said the Matanuska-Susitna borough spokeswoman, Patty Sullivan. At the time, she was at her office in Palmer, which is only a few miles away from where the earthquake hit.
"Co-workers in the administration building experienced rocking and a violent jerk, a couple of them fled the building," Sullivan said, adding "A couple books and knickknacks fell off the shelves, for some."