Increasing number of seismic events.
Observation: I have noticed that there are an increased number of earthquakes. It is important to all the communities of Southeast Alaska because of the immediate threat of a Tsunami. Mary Kennedy
Resource:
Earthquake Hazards Program – "This web site is sponsored by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, as part of our effort to provide and apply relevant earthquake science information and knowledge to reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage from earthquakes." Additionally, M. Haldane-Kennedy provided a interactive USGS earthquake map.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2004-08-02) News Topics - Earth, Retreating Glaciers Spur Alaskan Earthquakes, "Could an extra warm summer cause an earthquake in your backyard? Probably not... unless you live in Alaska. You probably know that friction in the earth's crust causes earthquakes, but did you know that a little extra sunshine might increase your chances of experiencing an earthquake if you live where glaciers are present? That's because as glaciers melt, they retreat and lighten the load on massive rocky slabs of Earth's crust called tectonic plates." by Sarah Dewitt, Goddard Space Flight Center
Media:
Alaska Dispatch News (2013-01-09) Earthquake aftershocks up to 4.0 continue rocking Southeast Alaska, "Magnitude 4 earthquakes were still shaking south of Port Alexander, off the coast of Southeast Alaska, near the site of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami warning for the coast of British Columbia up the Southeastern Alaska Panhandle." Author: Craig Medred
Alaska Dispatch News (2013-02-01) Jittery Southeast residents get earthquake answers, "In a 45-minute lecture and the lengthy question-and-answer session that followed, Ruppert, the seismic network manager for the Alaska Earthquake Information Center based at the Geophysical Institute, told her attentive audience:
- The earthquake released most of its energy in the first 20 seconds, but it took 50 seconds for 85 miles of the Queen Charlotte Fault to rupture.
- The Craig earthquake differed from the magnitude 9.2 1964 earthquake in that the Queen Charlotte Fault produces "strike-slip" earthquakes, in which the release of stress along the fault happens in a side-to-side motion similar to when you rub your hands together.
- In the two weeks following the earthquake, residents of Prince of Wales Island experienced about 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4, about the smallest earthquake people could feel that distance from the fault."
NOTE: To read the complete article, go to the link provided above. Author: Ned Rozell
