A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska on July 16, briefly triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake hit at around 12:37pm local time (4:37am Singapore time on July 17), with its epicentre located 87km south of Sand Point and at a relatively shallow depth of 20.1km.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula, but this was quickly downgraded to an advisory before being fully cancelled. The National Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that coastal areas of South Alaska and the peninsula were no longer at risk.
Over a dozen aftershocks followed the main quake, the strongest registering a magnitude of 5.2. A small tsunami measuring just 6.1cm was recorded in Sand Point, with no warnings issued for regions beyond Alaska’s coast.
