Six earthquakes at magnitude 6 to 7 occur in Alaska every year, as well as forty five magnitude 5 to 6 earthquakes per year. The area also sees about 300 earthquakes at magnitude 4 to 5 per year. And an average of a 1,000 earthquakes are located in Alaska each month.
A huge earthquake hit 30 miles south west of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, in November with a depth of 17 miles.
This was followed by a 5.8 quake afterwards.
But since the main earthquake, there have been around 350 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or higher.
A 5.0 magnitude tremor stuck on Tuesday, January 1 this year, while another 4.2 occurred on Wednesday 2.
Aftershocks can last for weeks or even months after an earthquake strikes.
Also, the bigger the earthquake is, the stronger the aftershocks are.
So how long will the earthquakes last in Alaska?
The US Geological Survey believes there could be between 22 and 120 more magnitude 3 or higher quakes over the next year.
Barbara Romanowicz is the former director of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory and a professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
She says Anchorage’s tremors will linger for the time-being.
She said to Oregon Live: “Lots of small non-damaging earthquakes – magnitude 3.0 or greater – are very likely to continue.”
During the next week, about one magnitude 3 or higher earthquake should strike every couple days.
One of these should also reach magnitude 4 strength every ten days.
The number of quakes may drop by the end of January, but this does not mean they will stop completely.
The second biggest earthquake occurred in Alaska on March 27, 1964 at 5.36pm local time (March 28 at 3.36 GMT).
The quake was recorded at magnitude 9.2 occurred in the Prince William Sound region.