Every day earthquakes occur. Most of us are not able to feel them, because they are so weak that they hardly make the earth's crust tremble, but there are others that in addition to the earthquake can activate the tsunami alarm, thus being able to cause greater damage. That is the case of the one that has shaken Alaska Today, Tuesday.
With a magnitude of 8,2 degrees on the Richter scale, which ranges from 0 to 10, this phenomenon has been recorded by the US Geological Survey.
The earthquake, which occurred 10 kilometers deep, was detected 256 kilometers southeast of Chiniak, a town on the northwest coast of Alaska. For the moment, no harm to regret, but as we said, there is a tsunami alert activated and, in fact, the country's authorities have urged those on the coast to seek refuge. In addition, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has called for them to move away from low-lying areas.
It must be taken into account that the alerts do not mean that this phenomenon will occur, but that it may happen. As the Anchorage Office of Emergencies explains, "Tsunami alerts mean that a tsunami with significant flooding is possible or is already occurring." These marine phenomena are very dangerous, since the waves they generate can measure up to 19 meters; And the worst thing is not that, the worst thing is that they can appear hours after the earthquake.
Therefore, the risk is real and prevention very important. They know this well, not only in Alaska, but also in British Columbia (Canada), off the coast of Hawaii and the coast of the United States up to the border with Mexico.
Hopefully nothing happens, but if in the end it does, you will be informed.