The USGS is monitoring how the event continues to unfold

Nov 1, 2011 13:47 GMT  ·  By

Researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) say that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the Rat Islands, in Alaska, in the late hours of Sunday, October 30. The event took place at 10:16:21 pm (local time) at the epicenter.

That is the equivalent of 0716 UTC, on Monday, October 31. According to American authorities, the natural event did not trigger a tsunami, and no warnings were issued as a result. The epicenter was located about 152.9 kilometers (95.0 miles) underneath the surface, Our Amazing Planet reports.

What is interesting to note here is that the epicenter was located about 40 kilometers (24 miles) north-north-east from the Kisk Volcano. Researchers are currently wandering whether the tremor was strong enough underground to affect that volcano's magma chamber. Keep an eye on this space for details.