A magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook a large swath of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on Thursday evening, sending residents of small coastal towns to higher ground as officials issued a tsunami warning in the temblor’s wake.
The quake was centered about 200 kilometres east of Atka, about 1,900 kilometres southwest of Anchorage. It was recorded at a depth of 42 kilometres, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center said.
The quake was felt through the central Aleutians and as far east as Dutch Harbor and Unalaska, but no damage was reported, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman with the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“It was shaking, it was just a little rumbly” and lasted about 20 seconds, said Atka resident Rodney Jones.
The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center posted a tsunami warning for some coastal areas of Alaska, but canceled the warning about an hour after the quake. The warning covered an area from 130 kilometres northeast of Dutch Harbor to about 200 kilometres west of Adak.
