Big Earthquake Buckles Roads in Alaska

7.0-magnitude quake jolts Anchorage, is followed by strong aftershock
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 30, 2018 12:41 PM CST
Updated Nov 30, 2018 12:57 PM CST
Strong Earthquake Rattles Alaska
This photo provided by David Harper shows merchandise that fell off the shelves during an earthquake at a store in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018.   (David Harper via AP)

Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads Friday morning in Anchorage, Alaska, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to higher ground for fear of a tsunami. The tsunami warning was lifted without incident a short time later, and there were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries, per the AP. This tweeted video from a high school student shows the scene from inside a school. "That was sick," one student can be heard saying. The US Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks.

Cracks could be seen in a two-story downtown Anchorage building, and a large section of an overpass near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement next to where the road gave way. The quake also disrupted electrical service and knocked out traffic lights in Anchorage, snarling traffic. People went back inside after the first earthquake struck, but the 5.8 aftershock about five minutes later sent them running back into the streets. Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because of tectonic plates sliding past each other under the region. (A quake rattled an Arctic research station earlier this month.)

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