6.9 earthquake strikes off Alaska, no tsunami warning issued

Associated Press

3 years ago

This photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities shows damage from heavy rains and a mudslide 600 feet wide in Haines, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Authorities say six people are unaccounted for, and four homes were destroyed in the slide, with the search resuming Thursday morning for survivors. (Matt Boron/Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

PERRYVILLE, Alaska (AP) — A 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the Alaskan Peninsula early Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Despite the size of the quake, no tsunami warnings were issued. The closest place to the epicenter was Perryville, home to a little more than 100 people 85 miles northwest. Much of the land around the part of the Gulf of Alaska where the earthquake struck just before 4 a.m. is home to wildlife refuges.

Alaska is a hotbed of seismic activity. The Alaska Earthquake Center, housed at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, detects an earthquake every 15 minutes, on average, according to its website. The center also says that 75% of all U.S. earthquakes with a magnitude over 5 occur in Alaska.