A close-up look at the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Alaska today
- The first earthquake measured 7.0, and the subsequent aftershock measured 5.7.
- No serious injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
- People immediately took to social media to post images and videos of the earthquakes’ aftermath.
Two earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.7 rumbled Anchorage, Alaska on Friday morning, causing roads to split open and people to take cover under whatever shelter they could find.
The first and more powerful earthquake struck 7 miles north of Anchorage, a city of about 300,000 people, just before 8:30 a.m. local time. In buildings across the city, windows shattered, cereal boxes fell from grocery store shelves, and lights flickered on and off. Minutes later, a powerful aftershock rocked the city again.
Officials issued a tsunami warning after the back-to-back quakes, though it was later lifted without incident.
Alaska, whose southern region rests under various tectonic plates that slide past each other, is hit by an average of 40,000 earthquakes every year, the Associated Press reports. Still, it’s rare for quakes this powerful to strike so close to a heavily populated city like Anchorage.
“I’ve been here 11 years and I’ve felt movers before, but that scared me s***less,” Anchorage resident Kevin Bartley told reporter Nat Herz of Alaska Public Media. “That’s the quickest I’ve ever seen one come on and the hardest I’ve ever seen it shake.”
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker issued a declaration of disaster, and Anchorage police reported “major infrastructure damage.” No serious injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
Almost immediately after the earthquake, people began posting images and videos of the quakes and their aftermath to social media.
