There are also reports of a brief outage in Anchorage, southwest of the epicenter, and the city immediately north and south about 160 miles (257 km).. Recorded 79 miles (128 kilometers) below the surface, the depth of which help keep the damage minimal, said Dara Merz, research technician with the Alaska Earthquake Center in Fairbanks.
No injuries, but several districts of the city of Kenai - about half way between the epicenter and Anchorage - temporarily evacuated after a gas explosion damaged four home several hours later, said a spokesman for the city.
He said it was unclear whether the blast was related to the quake.
There are also reports of a brief outage in Anchorage, southwest of the epicenter, and the city immediately north and south about 160 miles (257 km).
The quake was felt as far away as Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Canada's capital of more than 600 miles (966 kilometers) west of Anchorage, according to the USGS.
Recorded 79 miles (128 kilometers) below the surface, the depth of which help keep the damage minimal, said Dara Merz, research technician with the Alaska Earthquake Center in Fairbanks.
"If you take into account how deep it is, it's a lot of dirt and rocks that seismic waves have to work through to get to the surface," says Merz.
Alaska, a country that is very prone to earthquakes, recorded anywhere 80-100 earthquakes per day, most of them hardly ever realized. One of the strongest earthquakes to hit Alaska in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck under the sea near the Aleutian Islands chain in June 2014, but caused no injuries or serious damage.
The quake did not pose a tsunami threat, according to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
