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The Yakutat Block: An Active Seismic Region
On December 2, 2023, at 21:36:58 AKST (December 3, 2023, 06:36:58 UTC), an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.0 struck 32 miles east of Cape Yakataga. At a depth of 8.4 miles, the earthquake’s epicenter was located at 60.1609°N 141.5288°W. This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
The Yakutat microplate, located in southern Alaska, is a region with a long history of seismic activity. The microplate was transported northward along transform faults before encountering the continental margin of southern Alaska. This collision has resulted in complex seismotectonic interactions and has created a highly active seismic belt in the region.
Notable historical seismic events in the Yakutat Bay area include the 1899 M8.1 and M8.2 earthquakes, which caused up to 40 feet of uplift and 6 feet of land subsidence. The 1958 M7.7 Lituya Bay Earthquake, which ruptured along the Fairweather Fault, resulted in a massive landslide and a tsunami wave 1,720 feet high. The most recent major earthquake in the region was the 1972 M7.4 Saint Elias Earthquake.
The offshore zone in the region is characterized by the Transition Fault, which separates the Yakutat microplate from the Pacific Plate, and the northern Gulf of Alaska fault zone. The Transition Fault has a history of strong earthquakes, including a M7.7 in 1987 and a M7.8 in 1988, which produced significant ground motions felt along the entire southeast and southern Alaska coast.
The Yakutat Block experiences a high level of background seismicity, with hundreds of earthquakes recorded each year, the majority of which are shallow and located within the 50-mile-wide coastal zone.
The ongoing collision between the Yakutat microplate and the continental margin of southern Alaska continues to create a dynamic and active seismic region, making it a focus of ongoing research and monitoring by seismologists.
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