The US Tsunami Warning Center on Tuesday lifted warnings and watches along the US and Canadian Pacific coast, deeming there was no longer a threat following a powerful earthquake off Alaska’s coast.
The 7.9-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Alaska early Tuesday, briefly putting populations along the Canadian and US west coast on high alert in case of dangerous waves, but the US monitor later said “additional information and analysis have better defined the threat.”
The quake hit 256 km (157 miles) southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km at 0931 GMT, the US Geological Survey said.
“If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,” Anchorage Office of Emergency Management had said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia.
Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast and Hawaii were issued.
Japan’s meteorological agency had said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.
