by A 7.2-magnitude earthquake triggered a brief tsunami advisory for southern Alaska late Saturday, but the advisory was canceled about an hour later, monitoring agencies reported.
The quake was widely felt in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska Peninsula and Cook Inlet regions, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.
In Kodiak, Alaska, sirens warned of a possible tsunami and sent people to shelters late at night, according to video posted on social media.
The US Geological Survey wrote in a social media post that the quake struck 65.8 miles (106 kilometers) south of Sand Point, Alaska, at 10:48 p.m. Saturday. Initially, the quake was reported to have a magnitude of 7.4, but it was lowered to 7.2 soon after.
The US National Weather Service issued a tsunami advisory saying the quake occurred at a depth of 21 kilometers (13 miles). The agency canceled the notice about an hour after the first alert.
Before the cancellation, the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska, tweeted that the tsunami advisory applied to the Alaskan coast from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass, but Kodiak Island and the peninsula were not expected to of Kenai were affected.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said shortly after the tsunami watch was issued that there was no threat to the islands.
There were an estimated eight aftershocks in the same area of Alaska, including one of magnitude 5.0 within three minutes of the original quake. KTUU-TV reported.
Residents were advised not to reoccupy the danger zones without authorization from local emergency officials, the KTUU reported.
Small changes in sea level were still possible, KTUU reported.
Alaska experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, most of which are too deep and small to feel. It is the most seismically active state in the US and the location of the second largest earthquake ever recorded, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. In 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Prince William Sound caused extensive damage throughout south-central Alaska.
Saturday night’s tremor occurred in the same region as several other magnitude 7 earthquakes in recent years, the Center said via Twitter.
“The once calm “Shumagin Footprint” is not so calm anymore!” the tweet said.
