Tsunami Advisory in Alaska Temporarily Prompts Sheltering Following Earthquake

Late Saturday, a tsunami advisory was briefly issued following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the southern coast of Alaska, leading some residents to seek refuge in shelters. This advisory was rescinded approximately an hour later, according to official monitoring entities.

The tremor was noticeably felt across the Aleutian Islands, the Alaskan Peninsula, and the Cook Inlet regions, as informed by the Alaska Earthquake Center.

In Kodiak, Alaska, the potential tsunami threat was signaled by sirens, leading residents to seek overnight shelter, as seen in social media videos.

The earthquake took place 106 kilometers (65.8 miles) south of Sand Point, Alaska, at 10:48 p.m. Saturday, reported the United States Geological Survey via a social media post. The quake was initially gauged to be a 7.4 magnitude, but it was subsequently reduced to 7.2.

The U.S. National Weather Service dispatched a tsunami advisory after determining that the quake took place at a depth of 13 miles (21 kilometers). This advisory was revoked roughly one hour after the initial alert.

Before the advisory was lifted, the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska, stated via Twitter that the tsunami advisory was relevant for coastal areas from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass. However, they anticipated that Kodiak Island and the Kenai Peninsula would not be affected.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency confirmed shortly after the tsunami warning that there was no foreseeable threat to the islands.

In the aftermath of the main quake, there were around eight aftershocks in the same vicinity of Alaska, including a 5.0 magnitude tremor occurring three minutes post the primary event, according to KTUU-TV.

Residents were counseled not to return to hazard zones until they received the all-clear from local emergency authorities, as reported by KTUU. Minor changes in sea level were still possible.

Every year, Alaska experiences thousands of earthquakes, most being too small and too deep to be felt. The state is the most seismically active in the U.S. and was the site of the second-largest recorded earthquake in history, as per the Alaska Earthquake Center. In 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Prince William Sound caused widespread damage in south-central Alaska.

The Alaska Earthquake Center shared on Twitter that the recent tremor late Saturday happened in the same area where multiple 7+ magnitude earthquakes have occurred in the past few years.

Referring to the once tranquil “Shumagin Gap”, the Center tweeted that it was no longer so quiet.

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More about Alaska Earthquake

• Alaska Earthquake Center
• United States Geological Survey
• U.S. National Weather Service
• Hawaii Emergency Management Agency
• KTUU-TV