Powerful earthquake hits Alaska-Canada border, tremors felt in Yakutat and Juneau; update on tsunami warning
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska-Canada border on Saturday. Tremors were felt in Yakutat and Juneau.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near the Alaska–Canada border on Saturday, with tremors felt in Yakutat and Juneau, according to the USGS. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that there is no tsunami threat.
The quake struck at 11:41 a.m. local time on Saturday at a depth of 10 km.
The US Geological Survey said it struck about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Juneau, Alaska, and 155 miles (250 kilometers) west of Whitehorse, Yukon.
So far, no damage or injuries have been reported.
The National Weather Service in Eureka also confirmed that the earthquake posed no tsunami threat to the West Coast.
“A preliminary magnitude 7.0 earthquake has occurred approximately 230 miles NW of Juneau, Alaska around 12:42 PST today. There is NO TSUNAMI DANGER for the U.S. West Coast," the agency said in a post on X.
In Whitehorse, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Calista MacLeod said the detachment received two 911 calls about the earthquake.
“It definitely was felt,” MacLeod told the Associated Press. “There are a lot of people on social media, people felt it.”
Alison Bird, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said the area of Yukon most affected is a scenic, mountainous region with few residents.
“Mostly people have reported things falling off shelves and walls,” Bird said. “It doesn’t seem like we’ve seen anything in terms of structural damage.”
Bird noted that the closest Canadian community to the epicenter is Haines Junction, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) away. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics listed its 2022 population at 1,018.
The quake was also roughly 56 miles (91 kilometers) from Yakutat, Alaska, which the USGS says has a population of 662.
(With inputs from AP)
