Biggest aftershock in weeks: 4.9 shaker jolts Southcentral Alaska

An aftershock with a reviewed magnitude of 4.9 shook Southcentral Alaska residents awake early Thursday morning.

The tremor, which occurred at 5:21 a.m., was centered 8 miles northwest of Anchorage and 22 miles deep, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.

Since the 7.0 earthquake that caused widespread damage in Anchorage and Mat-Su on Nov. 30, over 6,000 aftershocks have been recorded, according to the earthquake center. (Track the latest aftershocks here.)

Most have been too small to feel, but over two dozen have been larger than a 4.0, according to the earthquake center. The last aftershock of magnitude 4.9 or higher was a 5.2 shaker that occurred in the 24-hour period after the Nov. 30 quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The last aftershock of magnitude 4.5 or higher was a 4.8 tremor Dec. 9.

Aftershocks are normal after tectonic earthquakes, seismologists say.

“For an earthquake of this size, we expect the aftershocks to continue for a few months," Natalia Ruppert of the Alaska Earthquake Center has said. "The rate of the aftershocks, however, will be going down with time.”

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