Magnitude 5.9 earthquake rattles southcentral Alaska

Experts say aftershocks are expected of lower magnitude

The impact was felt as far away as Fairbanks, Kodiak and Valdez (Screengrab/USGS)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 rattled south central Alaska on Tuesday with no immediate loss of life or damage reported.

The quake, which occurred 1.42pm Alaska Standard Time,  occurred across the Cook Inlet from the Kenai Peninsula. It was centred near Iliamna volcano 220 kilometres southwest of Anchorage, the state’s largest city, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The depth of the quake was 158 kilometres, the USGS said, which according to experts played a role in limiting its impact. However, the tremors were felt throughout the state with people on the USGS portal reporting feeling it as far away as Fairbanks, Kodiak and Valdez.

Seismologist Lea Gardine of the Alaska Earthquake Centre told the Anchorage Daily News that no immediate damage was reported after the earthquake.

“This one was on the deeper side,” Ms Gardine said. “If it was more shallow, it definitely would have (caused damage), but it’s not uncommon for ones of this size, at this depth, to not cause any significant damage.”

The earthquake was classified moderate, however, the richter magnitude of 5.9 is the highest on the scale after which an earthquake is interpreted as strong.

Ms Gardine also told the outlet that this earthquake is unlikely to be an aftershock of the 2016 quakes of 7.1 magnitude which wreaked havoc in Alaska, destroying homes and roadways. However, the centre of the quake was very close to where the earlier earthquake occurred.

Smaller aftershocks are, however, expected after the tremors on Tuesday.

“There will be aftershocks,” she said. “But usually on average they tend to be about a magnitude unit lower than the main shock. Again, that’s an average and they could be the same size or very close to. ... It’s definitely possible in the coming days to week that there’ll be a magnitude 4 that will be felt.”