Several hours after a moderate earthquake struck the Alaska Panhandle coastline yesterday afternoon (December 18), another tremblor followed in the evening.

The first quake, at 5.2-magnitude, hit at 1:52 p.m.

The second occurred at 10:43 p.m. 

The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported it as a 4.0-magnitude seismic event before reassessing it as a 3.8-magnitude quake.

The epicentre, at a depth of 12 kilometres (seven miles), was located in the same area as the first one.

This second one was slightly closer to shore, being 79 kilometres (49 miles) northwest of Elfin Cove, Alaska; 186 kilometres (115 miles) west of Juneau, Alaska; and 287 kilometres (178 miles) southwest of Whitehorse, Yukon.