Tsunami warning after 7.4-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska Peninsula

An earthquake of 7.4 magnitude in the Alaska Peninsula region on Sunday (July 16) prompted the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for Pacific regions located nearby.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 9.3 km, media reports quoted the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as saying.

The Alaska region has been experiencing quakes for a while now. Two weeks ago, a mild earthquake hit Anchorage, Alaska. According to the USGS, the quake occurred at a depth of 17.5 miles, about 12 miles south of the city and about two miles south of Eagle river. It did not cause injuries or damage.

Incidentally, another temblor was reported on the West Coast before it.

Also read: Five back-to-back earthquakes jolt J&K, Ladakh within 24 hours

The Alaska Earthquake Centre reportedly said Sunday’s quake was felt widely throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Alaskan Peninsula, and Cook Inlet regions.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory also issued a threat notice for the Shishaldin volcano after it sent up a huge plume of ash at the same time as the quake. “The eruption of Shishaldin Volcano has intensified,” the Alaska Volcano Observatory posted on Twitter.

An ash cloud of 125 km above sea level was reportedly observed in satellite data. However, the Alaska Volcano Observatory clarified that the quake and the volcanic eruption were not related.

In 1964, Alaska had been hit by an earthquake of 9.2 magnitude, which triggered a huge tsunami, causing landslides, avalanches, and waves up to 70 metres in height.