ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Earthquake Center has released its weekly seismic update for early February, highlighting both recent earthquake activity and the anniversary of one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Alaska.
Over the past week, about 600 earthquakes were detected across the state. The strongest was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake south of Great Sitkin Island in the western Aleutians on February 1. Six earthquakes were reported as felt by residents, including a magnitude 4.4 quake in the Anchorage area early on February 4.
The update also marked the anniversary of the 1965 magnitude 8.7 Rat Islands earthquake, which struck the western Aleutians on February 3, 1965. That massive event ruptured roughly 370 miles of the boundary where the Pacific Plate moves beneath Alaska, making it one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded worldwide.
Despite its size, the 1965 earthquake caused limited damage due to the region’s sparse population. Minor impacts were reported on Adak, Attu, Amchitka, and Shemya Islands. The earthquake, however, generated a powerful tsunami. Waves reached heights of up to 35 feet on Shemya Island, washing out a coastal road and flooding a warehouse. Smaller tsunami effects were observed at Amchitka and across parts of the Pacific, including Hawaii and Japan.
Seismologists continue to study large earthquakes in the western Aleutians, a region known for producing some of the world’s strongest seismic events. More information about Alaska’s historic earthquakes is available on the Significant Events section of the Alaska Earthquake Center’s website at earthquake.alaska.edu.
