Major earthquake hits near Anchorage, tsunami warning issued in Alaska

    1 of 2 2 of 2

      One day after a light earthquake occurred in B.C. near the Alberta border, a major earthquake has hit Alaska.

      At 9:29 a.m. today (November 30), a tremblor occurred with an epicentre located 11 kilometres (7 miles) north of Anchorage, Alaska, at a depth of 31 kilometres (19 miles).

      It was approximately 806 kilometres (500 miles) west of Whitehorse, Yukon.

      The U.S. Geological Survey's preliminary measurements registered it as a 6.7-magnitude earthquake but it has since been reassessed as a 7.0-magnitude seismic event.

      A tsunami warning was issued for the coastal areas of Cook Inlet and the southern Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

      According to the National Weather Service Seattle, British Columbia and Washington State are not expected to be affected by a tsunami.

      According to the Anchorage Police Department, the quake caused "major infrastructure damage" and many houses and buildings were damaged as well.

      A series of aftershocks have already occurred, ranging from 3.7- to 4.5-magnitude.

      The 7.0-magnitude quake had been preceded several hours before by a number of small quakes in the region, ranging from 2.6- to 3.7-magnitude.

      U.S. Geological Survey
      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

      Comments