Huge Earthquake Shakes Alaska
Photo Credit: NOAA/NWS Anchorage
A massive, 8.0 earthquake struck the far western part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands – near Little Sitkin Island – around 11:53 a.m. local time. Prompting tsunami warnings, which were subsequently downgraded to advisories, to be issued for parts of the nearly 1,200 mile-long chain of islands.
#Tsunami update: #Alaska Warning downgraded to ADVISORY for Aleutian chain from Attu to Unimak Pass. NO US West Coast location is affected
— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) June 23, 2014
The threat of a tsunami was generally confined to the immediate area surrounding the epicenter, because the quake was so deep – around 71 miles below the surface of the Earth.
According to the National Weather Service in Anchorage: Around 2 p.m. local time, reports suggested water was receding in Adak’s harbor and people in that town were seeking higher ground.
Amchitka, Alaska reported a tsunami of just 0.6 feet. No damage has been reported at this time and the U.S. mainland is not expected to by affected.
The Aleutian Islands sit along the top of the “Ring of Fire,” which is one of the most seismically active parts of the world.
And they’re no stranger to massive earthquakes; since 1938 there have been at least 4 instances of 8.0 or larger earthquakes centered on the Aleutian Island chain.
Meteorologist Alan Raymond