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Biggest U.S. earthquake in more than 50 years strikes Alaska—here’s what we can learn
The magnitude 8.2 earthquake did little damage, and it provides an opportunity for scientists to peer deep into the planet's innards.
A slowly oscillating wail cut through the sunlit summer night outside Kasey Aderhold's house in Homer, Alaska. The same siren had sounded just hours before as a test of the tsunami warning system—but this time the danger was real.
Some 380 miles to the west, off the coast of the Alaskan Peninsula, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake had just ripped through this part of the planet—the biggest temblor the U.S. has seen in more than 50 years. The event, which struck just after 10 p.m. local time on July 28, jolted nearby shores and sent landslides rushing down the steep coastal mountains.
Luckily, the quake caused little damage. It struck far from dense population centers and only caused rough
