A major Alaskan city was rattled Thursday by two earthquakes that struck just hours apart.
Anchorage, home to around 300,000 people, experienced a magnitude 2.9 quake at 10:13am local time (2:13pm ET) near Elmendorf Air Force Base.
The first tremor, a magnitude 3.2, was detected about 48 miles north at 5:23am (11:32am ET), but residents in Anchorage also reported feeling the shaking, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
An assessment from Michigan Tech University showed that people typically do not feel quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or less.
Those from 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt but only cause minor damage.
No injuries or damages have been reported on Thursday.
Anchorage sits about 78 miles from Mount Spurr, which continues to show signs of unrest with elevated seismic activity.
Mount Spurr was under an eruption ‘Watch’ earlier this year, but it has since been lowered to ‘Advisory,’ meaning ‘volcanic activity has decreased significantly but continues to be closely monitored for possible renewed increase.’
Anchorage, home to around 300,000 people, experienced a magnitude 2.9 quake at 10:13am local time (2:13pm ET) near Elmendorf Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base, like all of Alaska, is prone to earthquakes due to its location along a major tectonic plate boundary.
Specifically, it sits on top of the Aleutian subduction zone, where the Pacific Plate slides beneath the North American Plate, generating significant seismic activity.
This plate movement creates stress that is periodically released in the form of earthquakes, some of which can be quite large.
Elmendorf is the largest military installation in Alaska, as its 13,130 square acres are occupied by more than 800 buildings, two runways and more than 150 miles of roads.
While the magnitude 2.9 quake is considered minor, dozens of locals reported feeling it to the USGS, while more than 100 reports came in for the stronger tremor.
Mount Spurr has experienced dozens of small earthquakes in the last week, reaching up to a magnitude 2.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) issued the latest update on Wednesday, saying: ‘Low-level unrest continues at Mount Spurr with occasional, small earthquakes occurring beneath the volcano.
‘No activity was observed in mostly clear webcam images and satellite views from the past day.’
Anchorage sits about 78 miles from Mount Spurr, which continues to show signs of unrest with elevated seismic activity
However, the volcano was under a ‘Watch’ in March when it began releasing elevated levels of gas from its summit and a side vent that last erupted in 1992.
During that month, Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the AVO told DailyMail.com that eruption would most likely occur at the Crater Peak side vent, and ‘it would be explosive.
This event would spew multiple plumes of ash rising as high as 50,000 feet into the air, Haney said.
Each ash-producing explosive episode would last three to four hours, and the resulting cloud could blanket the city of Anchorage and other nearby communities in a thick layer of dust.
The eruption would also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches volcanic debris racing down the volcano’s side at over 200 miles per hour, ‘but fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,’ Haney said.
However, Mount Spurr has since halted much of the emissions and ground deformation, signaling a volcanic eruption is unlikely.
‘Fluctuations in unrest are common at volcanoes and eruptive activity remains possible, but unlikely,’ the AVO shared.
‘Should unrest escalate towards an eruption, we expect to observe increases in seismic activity, gas emissions, surface deformation, and surface heating.’
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