Large earthquake shakes Southcentral Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A large earthquake struck north of Hatcher Pass just before 11 p.m. Sunday, with reports of it being felt widespread across Southcentral and the Interior.

The USGS reported the earthquake as a magnitude 6.1, about 27 miles deep. This is the largest earthquake to strike Southcentral since the magnitude 7.1 in November 2018. There have, however, been more than a dozen similarly sized, or larger quakes that have struck the Aleutians in that time.

Since the initial quake, there have been nearly 100 recorded aftershocks, with 5 of them measuring M3.0 or greater. The most recent was a magnitude 4.6 that occurred at 4:14 a.m. Monday.

The USGS says that more aftershocks will continue to occur near the mainshock, with up to 15 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or higher likely through the next week.

While the number of aftershocks will drop off over time, there can be a temporary surge in aftershocks following a larger one. Of those larger aftershocks, the USGS is forecast anywhere from 0 to 2 being at least a magnitude of 5.0 or higher.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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