Strong earthquake jolts Anchorage, Alaska

Published 1:52 pm Monday, June 22, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A strong earthquake jolted Anchorage, Alaska, today, sending people diving under desks and huddling in doorways.

The U.S. Geological Survey said an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 struck near the town of Willow at 11:28 a.m. The epicenter was 58 miles from the state’s largest city, Anchorage, where the rumbled continued for several moments.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center reported the magnitude at a slightly weaker 5.3 and said no tsunami will be generated. The USGS had reported a preliminary magnitude of 5.7.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, but the shaking was felt over a wide swath of south-central Alaska.

Aftershocks shook the area, with one about a half-hour later measuring 4.2.

Alaska is seismically active, and has frequent earthquakes. The last one that measured stronger was a 5.8 in southern Alaska on Jan. 24.