7.2 Quake Hits Alaska's Aleutian Islands | |||||||||||
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A large earthquake rattled Alaska's seismically active Aleutian Islands, but there were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries. The magnitude-7.2 quake struck at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and was centered about 125 miles west of Adak in the island chain, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey. A dispatcher with the Anchorage Police Department said he didn't feel the quake, some 1,300 miles away, and there were no reports of any injuries or damages. The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 islands that extend southwestward from Alaska into the northern Pacific Ocean. A tsunami warning was canceled early Wednesday for Alaska's coasts after officials determined waves from the earthquake posed no widespread destructive threat. The earth's most active seismic feature, the circum-Pacific seismic belt, brushes Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, where more earthquakes occur than in the other 49 States combined. The Andreanof Island sustained a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in March 1957 that cused very severe damage on Adak and Unimak Islands. A damaging tsunami was generated, and a wall of water 40 feet high smashed the coastline of Scotch Cap on Unimak Island. Sand Bay, near Adak, reported 26-foot waves inundated its shores. © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. Source: http://news.lycos.com/dynamic/stories/A/ALASKA_QUAKE?SITE=LYCOS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |
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