A magnitude 5.1 earthquake, Southwest Alaska's largest temblor in years, shook much of the region on Monday night.
The quake, which struck at about 8 p.m. Monday, was centered about 37 miles east of Egegik. Its shake could be felt up to roughly 190 miles away, according to experts.
Elisabeth Nadin is a geologist and communications manager at the Alaska Earthquake Center.
“The earthquake itself was unusual because of how big it was,” Nadin said. “There hasn't been an earthquake that big in that area in over a decade.”
The quake occurred at a shallow depth of about seven miles and struck near a fault line. Nadin says it was located between two active volcanic centers but was not directly tied to either. She says the location, depth, and intensity suggest the earthquake was likely caused by normal movement at the fault.
But John Power, a geophysicist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, says the observatory is still monitoring the region for any volcanic activity.
“It could simply be that this is the normal shifting of the crust of the earth in response to plate tectonics or it could be more associated with volcanic activity,” Power said. “Only time will tell as we get additional data and are able to do additional analysis.”
The region has several volcanic structures and a history of eruptions, including the 1977 eruption of Ukinrek Maars volcano. But Power says most past earthquakes in the area haven’t led to eruptions.
“Naturally we are watching the area now quite closely over the next coming weeks just to see if any additional activity may occur,” Power said. “But right now there is no official warning or cause for additional concern at this time.”
Two aftershocks followed the earthquake with magnitudes of 3.8 and 3.3. Powers says aftershocks are typical for an earthquake of this size.
Powers says individuals reported feeling the shake in Dillingham, Port Heiden, Naknek, and King Salmon.
More information on earthquakes and earthquake preparedness can be found on the Alaska Earthquake Center Website.
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