Earthquake!

Yesterday I experienced my first earthquake. I take that back, yesterday I FELT my first earthquake. There was an earthquake (5.1) when I first arrived but I was hiking at the time and did not notice it. Earthquakes happen many times a day right here in Alaska. Click HERE to see the most recent earthquakes and their magnitudes in Alaska. Did you know that there are an average of 50-100 earthquakes in Alaska, daily! In fact, Alaska has more earthquakes per year than all the other states combined.

The Pacific Plate is moving northwestwardly under the North American Plate at a rate of approximately 2 1/2 inches per year. The result is many fault lines and earthquakes throughout the state, every day.  

Alaska is number one rank for quakes. Minnesota had as at least 1 event in 30 years.

Earthquakes over magnitude 8.0 occur, on average, every thirteen years or so in Alaska.  However, no one can ever be certain of when or where the next great earthquake will find them.
Three of the six largest recorded quakes in the world were in Alaska The largest of those was the earthquake that occurred in March of 1964. With a magnitude of 9.2, it went down in the records as the second largest quake in the world.

The earthquake that I experienced was a magnitude of 5.2. So "what was it like? "people ask. Well, I heard the earthquake before I felt it. I could hear the quake approaching. It sounded like an approaching  truck with its air breaks on or like a rumble of thunder getting closer and closer. I was miffed because I didn't know what it was and I thought it was a construction vehicle (they have been doing road work). I soon realized this was not the case as the mirror and walls began to shake. Nothing fell down but I certainly could feel it. It lasted maybe ten seconds. I would best compare it (forgive my farm analogy) to riding on a hay rack or flatbed...the ground (rack/flatbed) below you shakes like when going over bumpy terrain but you remain upright. It was exciting (if I may say so), but to the rest of the Alaskans its just "another quake".