A series of earthquakes occurring in the northwestern reaches of Alaska has been classified as a ‘swarm’, and is proving tough to explain for scientists.


A series of earthquakes occurring in the northwestern reaches of Alaska has been classified as a ‘swarm’, and is proving tough to explain for scientists.

All have occurred since mid-April and been the same magnitude, each being classified as 5.7 quakes.

They’ve also been followed with significant aftershock activity. Hundreds of them have occurred, some measuring a magnitude of 4 or greater.

Those living in the village of Noatak are concerned that a seriously big quake could be next, but scientists don’t see that the pattern supports that thinking.

One researcher investigating the phenomenon said, “There is nothing to suggest a larger earthquake; earthquake swarms are characterized by earthquakes of the same size. But I would be lying if I said there’s no possibility of a larger earthquake.”

Thus far, no significant damage has been done to the people or properties in Noatak.

Scientists have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the swarm. There’s no presence of any of the usual suspects, such as volcanoes and geothermic sites.

Further, there’s not a lot of recorded data for such happenings in the area, so looking for information in historic precedents hasn’t been possible.