Another Earthquake Hits U.S. as Alaska is Shaken by 6.8 Quake

After three major earthquakes and one massive hurricane hit the lower 48 of the United States over the last 2 weeks, the country is shaken again as a 6.8 earthquake hits Alaska. The quake, originally announced as a 7.1 and later downgraded by the USGS, hit a 6:55 AM Eastern time and was centered in the waters near Atka Alaska.

While it has since been cancelled, there had been some initial tsunami warnings for remote coastal areas of Alaska which extended from Unimak Pass to Amchitka Pass. Fortunately the areas are not substantially populated and so far no injuries have been reported.

According to reports, the city of Dutch Harbor, made famous from the Discovery Channel series “Deadliest Catch” about the Alaska crab fisherman, was awakened by the sound of sirens warning of the potential for tsunami. The warnings were cancelled a little over an hour after the quake was reported.

The only reported wave action from the earthquake was from Atka. In a statement Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security said, “In Atka, they had a little bump of a wave, but nothing of any kind of a destructive power.”

So far there has been no connection made between this event and the earthquakes which hit the east and west coasts of the lower 48 states of the U.S. just weeks ago. According to geologists a link is unlikely as this area of Alaska sits on a seismic belt about 25,000 miles long where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. This area is commonly referred to as the Pacific Ring of Fire and is why Japan is so prone to earthquakes as well.