Powerful quake rattles Alaska
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A POWERFUL 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska's Aleutian islands yesterday and briefly sparked a tsunami warning in some Alaskan coastal areas which was later retracted, officials said.
The quake's epicenter was located 200km west of Adak and 2,098km west-southwest of Anchorage, and it hit at 9.30am, according to the United States Geological Survey.
It struck around 40km deep, and was followed by a 5.5 magnitude aftershock about one hour later.
The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center cancelled a tsunami warning it issued shortly after the quake, saying that "no destructive tsunami has been recorded, and no tsunami danger exists along the coasts of the United States west coast states, Alaska, and British Columbia."
So far there have been no reports of casualties or destruction to property and life.
A quake of 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale is considered powerful and has the potential to cause damage to property and life.AFP
The quake's epicenter was located 200km west of Adak and 2,098km west-southwest of Anchorage, and it hit at 9.30am, according to the United States Geological Survey.
It struck around 40km deep, and was followed by a 5.5 magnitude aftershock about one hour later.
The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center cancelled a tsunami warning it issued shortly after the quake, saying that "no destructive tsunami has been recorded, and no tsunami danger exists along the coasts of the United States west coast states, Alaska, and British Columbia."
So far there have been no reports of casualties or destruction to property and life.
A quake of 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale is considered powerful and has the potential to cause damage to property and life.AFP
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