Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Hits Alaska Peninsula

LOS ANGELES: A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, leading to a tsunami warning issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake struck around 12:37 PM local time (2037 GMT), with its epicenter approximately 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Sand Point, as reported by the USGS. It occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 20.1 kilometers.

In the aftermath of the tremor, officials issued a tsunami warning for the southern regions of Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.

“A tsunami has been confirmed, and impacts are anticipated,” stated the National Tsunami Warning Center based in Palmer, Alaska.

The specific warning area included “South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula, as well as the Pacific coasts from Kennedy Entrance, Alaska (40 miles southwest of Homer) to Unimak Pass, Alaska (80 miles northeast of Unalaska),” as indicated by the center.

For now, initial data shows that tsunami alerts have not been extended to other areas, according to the NTWC.

Alaska is situated within the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.

In March 1964, the state experienced a massive 9.2-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in North America, which devastated Anchorage and caused a tsunami that impacted the Gulf of Alaska, the U.S. West Coast, and Hawaii.

That disaster claimed over 250 lives due to both the earthquake and resulting tsunami.

In July 2023, a separate 7.2-magnitude earthquake occurred off the Alaskan Peninsula, but fortunately, there were no significant damages reported.