Magnitude 8.2 earthquake hits Alaska Peninsula

A strong 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit an area off the Alaska peninsula late Wednesday, prompting a series of tsunami warnings for the seismically active U.S. state that were later lifted. 

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck about 56 miles east-southeast of Perryville, Alaska, around 10:15 p.m. local time at a depth of about 20 miles. 

The U.S. agency later recorded earthquakes with preliminary magnitudes of 6.2 and 5.6 in the same area within a half-hour of the first one. 

In total, the Geological Survey recorded more than 25 aftershocks following the 8.2 quake. 

While the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) said there were small tsunami waves in some coastal cities, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. 

Tsunami warnings had been issued for south Alaska and the Alaskan peninsula, though the National Weather Service said early Thursday morning that all alerts for Alaska had been lifted. 

Warnings were also briefly issued for Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, though the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancelled these when it was determined that there was no apparent risk of major flooding. 

Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the NTWC, told Reuters that while “there might be some minor damage in some places “ in Alaska, a “significant tsunami and significant damage from something like that is not expected.” 

He also said that California, Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia would not likely see any major tsunami threats. 

According to Geological Survey data, Wednesday’s quake was the seventh largest in U.S. history and the largest in North America since 1965, when an 8.7 magnitude one hit Alaska. 

The National Weather Service division in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, tweeted early Thursday asking residents to share if they had experienced any damage or impacts from the quake and subsequent tsunami threats.