(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – A potent earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit close to the Alaska Peninsula late on a Saturday night.
Early estimates had the earthquake about 55 miles southwest of Sand Point, Alaska, according to the National Weather Service. Initially, the quake was gauged to be 7.4 in magnitude by the United States Geological Survey, as they reported on Twitter.
The earthquake occurred around 10:48 p.m. local time. In Kodiak, Alaska, sirens wailed late into the night, as seen in a video shared on social media.
You can watch and listen to the video at the bottom of this post.
Due to the earthquake, the National Weather Service in Anchorage gave a short-lived tsunami warning, indicating there might be a “significant inundation,” but this was downgraded to an advisory and then canceled by early Sunday.
“A tsunami was generated by this event, but no longer poses a threat,” stated the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center. They added, “Some areas may continue to see small sea level changes.”
The center had previously issued an advisory, encouraging those near the coastline to move away from beaches and ports.
Earlier, when the tsunami warning was in effect, weather officials had provided a timeline of roughly 90 minutes when they expected tsunami waves to hit the coast “from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass.”
The service’s Anchorage office announced the initial warning on Twitter, stating, “Significant inundation is possible or already occurring. Move inland to higher ground.”
The state’s Management Agency confirmed there was no tsunami threat in Hawaii.
The earthquake happened along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, a spot known for substantial seismic activity, per the USGS’s summary of the incident.
“Since 1900, nine other earthquakes M7 and larger have occurred within 250 km of the July 16, 2023, event,” the USGS reported.
Historically, on April 1, 1946, an earthquake of magnitude 8.6 struck roughly 93 miles away, triggering a tsunami that “devastated the lighthouse on Unimak Island and swept away its five occupants,” according to USGS officials. As per the summary, the resulting tsunamis caused the deaths of an additional 159 people in Hawaii and one person in California.
Officials said that a colossal 9.2-magnitude earthquake on March 27, 1964, in the Alaska-Aleutian Trench was the second biggest ever recorded with modern earthquake measuring equipment.
🚨#BREAKING: Massive Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Sirens Along Alaskan Coastline
📌#KodiakIsland l #Alaska
Sirens were sounding off in response to a tsunami warning. The warning came after a strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the coastline of Alaska. The Tsunami… pic.twitter.com/rccv1h5hgW
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 16, 2023
