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By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday morning just as people in the state’s most populous area were settling in to work and school.
There were no initial reports of injuries or deaths. But the quake damaged roads and buildings, knocked out power and sent people fleeing from buildings and to safety beneath door jambs, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
The quake struck about 8:30 a.m. local time some 10 miles northeast of Anchorage, at a depth of 21 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter was just north of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Aftershocks Expected to Occur for Several Months
Many more aftershocks can be expected, Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology, told CNN. Aftershocks will follow for weeks and months, she noted.
”We think the number dies off with time, but the relative distribution from large to small is constant,” she added.
Over the past century, 14 other earthquakes of 6.0 magnitude and above have occurred within 93 miles of Friday morning’s earthquake.