According to the United States Geological Survey, a shallow 8.2 magnitude earthquake occurred off Alaska’s peninsula on Wednesday. This prompted a tsunami warning.
The US issued a tsunami alert for Alaska’s southeast. The US Tsunami Warning System stated in a statement that “Hazardous tsunami wave for this earthquake are possible within three hours along certain coasts.”
On Wednesday night, a shallow earthquake measuring 8.2 hit Alaska Peninsula. This prompted tsunami warnings across the region.
Perryville, Alaska largest city, is located approximately 500 miles away from Anchorage.
In October, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake created tsunami waves on Alaska’s southern coast. However, no deaths were reported.
#UPDATE A shallow 8.2 magnitude earthquake has struck off the Alaskan peninsula, the USGS says, prompting a tsunami warning.
The earthquake hit 56 miles (91 kilometers) southeast of the town of Perryville, with a tsunami warning in effect for south Alaska and Alaskan peninsula pic.twitter.com/vlSmipJKu6
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 29, 2021
Alaska is part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. New Zealand authorities also stated that they were still assessing the risk to the coast.
According to the US NTWC, it is evaluating tsunami risk for other US and Canadian Pacific coast areas.
It was about 91km east-southeast from Perryville, Alaska. It was located 800km (500 miles) away from Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. According to USGS, it was followed by seven more aftershocks. Two of them were above magnitude 6.
In March 1964, Alaska was struck by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake. It was the largest ever recorded in North America. It destroyed Anchorage and unleashed the tsunami that decimated the Gulf of Alaska, Hawaii, and the US West Coast.
The tsunami and the earthquake claimed the lives of more than 250 people.
