ALEUTIAN ISLANDS - An earthquake hit with measured 6.6 on Richter scale about 40 miles east of the village of Nikolski and 850 miles southwest of Anchorage on Sunday night 7:01 p.m. PST reported by Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
According to a seismologist George Carts, the quake was felt strongly in the towns of Unalaska, Dutch Harbor and Nikolski for three minutes without any injuries or major damage. These three fishing villages are located on western islands in the Aleutian chain.
"There was some very minor damage at Nikolski, with items knocked off shelves and small items damaged. 20 aftershocks; one measured 5.0 on the scale. None was powerful enough to cause a tsunami." officials said.
Earthquake of 6.6 magnitude can cause severe damage if it hits populated areas.
Richter scale measures ground motion and is recorded on seismographs; each increase of one number means a tenfold increase in magnitude; example, 7.5 is 10 times greater than 6.5. Official categories: 3.5 can cause slight damage; 4, moderate damage; 5, considerable damage; 6, severe damage; 7, major earthquake, can cause widespread heavy damage; 8, great quake.
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