4 homes destroyed after magnitude-7.1 earthquake rocks Alaska

The magnitude-7.1 earthquake that shook the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska early Sunday was the strongest quake to hit the south-central region of the state in decades, Alaska's state seismologist said.

The seismologist, Michael West, also told the Los Angeles Times that aftershocks could go on for weeks, and the biggest aftershock recorded on Sunday was a 4.7. This quake was "significant because it was close enough to Alaska's population centers," he said. The quake hit at 1:30 a.m. local time, and was centered 53 miles west of Anchor Point, 160 miles southwest of Anchorage, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The shaking was felt in Anchorage, where one resident said it lasted for more than 50 seconds.

No injuries have been reported, but four single-family houses were lost in Kenai, the Kenai Fire Department said; two were destroyed in explosions and the other two burned down.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.