Strong earthquake in Alaska triggers tsunami warning

A powerful earthquake struck the US state of Alaska early Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning for the state’s coast by the Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning Center.

Sunday 16 July 06:55:47 UTC, event image 2023 pic.twitter.com/EWNxXkn1tt

— NWS Tsunami Warnings (@NWS_NTWC) July 16, 2023

The preliminary magnitude of the earthquake, which occurred under the sea, was 7.4 to 106 kilometers south of Sand Point at 3:48 a.m. Sunday, the USGS said. The earthquake was shallow and only 10 kilometers deep, increasing the risk of surface impacts.

The most powerful earthquake in Alaskan history occurred on March 27, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. local time with a magnitude of 9.2 and shook the Prince William Sound region. This earthquake and subsequent tsunami claimed 131 lives, 122 of which were caused by Tsunami 122, and caused an estimated $2.3 billion in damage.

The effects of the earthquake were severe for many cities including Anchorage, Chitina, Glennallen, Homer, Hope, Kasilof, Kenai, Kodiak, Moose Pass, Portage, Seldovia, Seward, Sterling, Valdez, Wasilla and Whittier.

Anchorage, about 120 kilometers northwest of the 1964 epicenter, suffered the most severe property damage. Around 30 blocks of residential and commercial buildings in the downtown area were damaged or destroyed. The JC Penney Company building was leveled and the Four Seasons apartment building, a new sixstory building, collapsed

Schools in Anchorage were nearly destroyed. Government Hill Elementary School, destroyed by a massive landslide, was almost completely lost. Anchorage High School and Denali Grade School were heavily damaged. The duration of the shock was estimated at 3 minutes.

In the countries of the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is not uncommon for strong earthquakes to occur, such as in Indonesia earlier this week, killing hundreds and injuring them. The country was the epicenter of the 2004 earthquake that triggered the tsunami that claimed more than 200,000 lives.

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Formed by the collision of multiple tectonic plates, the Pacific Ring of Fire makes the region a zone with a high frequency of earthquakes and tsunamis. This area is responsible for about 90% of earthquakes and 50% of existing volcanoes around the world.

The socalled circle runs along the entire length of the Pacific Ocean coast. It begins with a branch in the Indian Ocean and continues through Indonesia, Sumatra and Malaysia to the Philippine Plate. The ring thus includes the entire Pacific Plate, the Juan de Fuca Plate (located off the coast of Canada and the US states of Washington and Oregon), the Cocos Plate (located in the Pacific Ocean off Central America), and the Nazca Plate (next to South America ).