Earthquake of 7.1 Magnitude Jolts Alaska Sunday January 24,2016

 

A magnitude-7.1 quake knocked items off shelves and walls in Alaska early Sunday morning January 24,2016, jolting the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region.

 

The earthquake struck at about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and was centered 53 miles (85 kilometers) west of Anchor Point in the Kenai Peninsula, which is about 160 miles (257 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of injuries, but four homes were lost to explosions or fire following the quake.

Alaska's state seismologist, Michael West, called it the strongest earthquake in the state's south-central region in decades

Alaska often has larger or more powerful earthquakes, such as a 7.9 last year in the remote Aleutian Islands