POSTED: 03:06 PM AKDT Apr 18, 2014
UPDATED: 03:11 PM AKDT Apr 18, 2014
NOME - A series of earthquakes (click here) rattled northwest Alaska about 40 miles northeast of Kotzebue Friday morning, beginning with a strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake at 10:44 a.m.
“It’s a very striking earthquake,” said state seismologist Michael West, the director of the Alaska Earthquake Center in Fairbanks. “I’m not aware of anything in the last 30 years in the area anywhere close in size.”
West says the initial quake was the one of the largest on record for the region, and was followed by a series of less-powerful quakes, including a 5.3 magnitude aftershock that struck just 12 minutes later.
“We’ve recorded at least 10 or so aftershocks in the last couple of hours; I’m quite sure there are many more that are a lot smaller,” West said.
The centers of the quakes were about 20 miles northeast of the 500-strong community of Noatak, with the Red Dog Mine also 20 miles away....
