An earthquake struck the northern Kenai Peninsula on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.

The magnitude-3.6 temblor struck at 12:28 p.m. 29 miles northeast of Kenai at a depth of 28 miles, and was reportedly felt both on the peninsula and in Anchorage.

According to the earthquake center, strong quakes in southern Alaska are caused by the subducting Pacific and overriding North American tectonic plates. The second-largest rattle ever recorded worldwide struck under Prince William Sound in 1964. That earthquake was 9.2 on the Richter scale.

Some less devastating shakes are caused by the subducting Pacific Plate descending toward the mantle beneath the North American Plate. This zone of seismic activity extends from the Aleutian Arc to the Alaska Peninsula and Cool Inlet, where it ends underneath the northern foothills of the Alaska Range.

The earthquake center had recorded 36 quakes statewide on Tuesday, as of 5:45 p.m.

Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.