Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Strikes Southern Alaska, Brief Tsunami Advisory Issued and Subsequently Cancelled

Gambar:the-express.com

A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake rattled southern Alaska late Saturday, leading to a brief tsunami advisory that was later cancelled, according to reports from monitoring bodies. The quake was widely felt across the Aleutian Islands, Alaskan Peninsula, and Cook Inlet regions, as confirmed by the Alaska Earthquake Center.

 

In Kodiak, Alaska, sirens blared, warning residents of a potential tsunami and prompting them to seek shelter. Videos posted on social media captured the late-night response of people driving towards safety.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced on social media that the earthquake occurred approximately 106 kilometers (65.8 miles) south of Sand Point, Alaska, at 10:48 p.m. on Saturday. Initially reported as a 7.4 magnitude quake, it was later downgraded to 7.2.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued a tsunami advisory, stating that the earthquake took place at a depth of 13 miles (21 kilometers). However, the advisory was cancelled about an hour after it was initially issued.

 

Prior to the cancellation, the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska, tweeted that the tsunami advisory applied to coastal areas from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass, but reassured that Kodiak Island and the Kenai Peninsula were not expected to be affected.

 

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency swiftly declared that there was no threat to the islands, alleviating concerns in the region.

 

Several aftershocks were recorded in the same area, including one measuring 5.0 magnitude within just three minutes of the initial earthquake. Residents were cautioned not to return to hazard zones without clearance from local emergency officials, as small sea level changes were still possible.

 

Alaska, being the most seismically active state in the United States, experiences thousands of earthquakes each year. While most of them are too deep and small to be felt, Alaska remains prone to significant seismic activity. In fact, the state is home to the second-largest earthquake ever recorded, a magnitude 9.2 quake that struck Prince William Sound in 1964 and caused extensive damage in south-central Alaska.

This recent earthquake occurred in the same region that has witnessed several other earthquakes above 7 magnitude in recent years, as noted by the Alaska Earthquake Center on Twitter. The "Shumagin Gap," once a quiet area, has become more active in terms of seismic events, indicating ongoing geological activity in the region.

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