4.9 magnitude earthquake shakes Anchorage

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 shook Anchorage on Thursday morning, nearly a month after a 7.0 magnitude quake damaged roads and buildings in the region.

The temblor happened around 5:20 a.m., centered about 10.5 miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska's most populous city, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Alaska Earthquake Center reported the earthquake was centered about 8 miles north of Anchorage.

“This one was closer to Anchorage than most, which could explain why people are saying it felt stronger than it was,” officials with the Alaska Earthquake Center said Thursday in a tweet.

The quake was the largest aftershock to rattle the region since Nov. 30, when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the city, KTVA reported.

Thousands of aftershocks have been recorded since last month's earthquake, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Officials told the newspaper Wednesday that the quake caused at least $76 million worth of damage.

"For an earthquake of this size, we expect the aftershocks to continue for a few months," Natalia Ruppert, of the Alaska Earthquake Center, told the Daily News. "The rate of the aftershocks, however, will be going down with time."

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