Alaska News

5.0 earthquake rattles Southcentral Alaska

A 5.0 earthquake rattled Southcentral at about 11:57 a.m. Saturday. The epicenter of the quake was located about 66 miles west of Willow in the Mat-Su, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Mike Yencha, operator of Deshka Wilderness Lodge in Willow, said the earthquake shook his building but wasn't strong enough to knock anything out of place.

The jolt was "not that bad," he said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was closer to the tiny community of Skwentna, population 37.

Co-owner of Skwentna Roadhouse Cindi Herman said the earthquake felt like it lasted a long time.

"I stood in the kitchen listening to the pans rattle for probably close to a minute," Herman said.

Nothing was damaged at her lodge, she said.

"5.3 (magnitude) we're OK," she said. "When we hit 6.3, stuff gets knocked off the shelves."

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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