7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes near Alaska, tsunami warning issued

A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, prompting a tsunami warning, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake occurred around 12:37 pm local time (2037 GMT), with its epicentre about 54 miles (87 kilometres) south of Sand Point, a town on an Alaskan island. The quake had a shallow depth of 20.1 kilometres.

Authorities issued a tsunami warning for South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.

“A tsunami has been confirmed and some impacts are expected,” said the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) in Palmer, Alaska.

The warning covers South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula, stretching along the Pacific coast from Kennedy Entrance (about 40 miles southwest of Homer) to Unimak Pass (80 miles northeast of Unalaska), according to the NTWC.

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So far, no tsunami warnings have been issued for areas further away.

Alaska sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.

In March 1964, Alaska was hit by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake—the strongest ever recorded in North America—which devastated Anchorage and triggered a tsunami that impacted the Gulf of Alaska, the US West Coast, and Hawaii. Over 250 people lost their lives in the disaster.

In July 2023, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck off the Alaskan Peninsula, though it caused no major damage.