The magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck close to Point MacKenzie to the north west of Anchorage at 4.45pm GMT (8.45am local time), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Residents took to earthquake monitoring site EMSC to share their experiences. One said: “Long and big. Significant anxiety spike!
Another added: “That was scary. Hard quake.”
There is no tsunami warning, advisory or threat in place after the earthquake, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.
Alaska has experienced more than 100 earthquakes already this year.
Today’s tremor is the seventh recorded at magnitude 4.5 or higher so far in 2019.
In December, a major 7.0 earthquake hit just 8 miles north of Anchorage causing “major damage” to homes and infrastructure.
Southern Alaska straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region which spans some 25,000 miles.
More than 90 percent of earthquakes hit at some point on the ring, which spans from the southern tip of South America, along the western coast of the US, Canada and Alaska.