Two rare earthquakes shake western Alaska coast

BETHEL — In an unprecedented event, two earthquakes shook the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta on Tuesday night. The quakes hit about 45 miles offshore of the community of Hooper Bay.

People living in coastal Yukon-Kuskokwim communities reported feeling both quakes as minor tremors, and no damage or injury has been reported.

Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in Alaska, but not in this area. Seismologist Michael West with the UAF Alaska Earthquake Center says that these quakes are the first to be recorded within 100 miles of where they struck.

The first quake registered a magnitude of 4.9 and hit at 10:42 p.m. The second quake was less powerful, registering at a magnitude of 3.6 and hitting a half hour later at 11:12 p.m.