JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A strong 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck a remote area near the border between Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Territory on Saturday. There was no tsunami warning, and authorities indicated that no damage or injuries have been reported at this time.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that it occurred about 370 kilometers (230 miles) northwest of Juneau, Alaska, and 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of Whitehorse, Yukon.
In Whitehorse, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Calista MacLeod said the police station received two 911 calls about the earthquake.
“It was definitely felt,” MacLeod said. “There are a lot of people on social media, people felt it.”
Alison Bird, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said the part of Yukon most affected by the quake is mountainous and sparsely populated.
“Mainly, people have reported things falling off shelves and walls,” Bird said. “It doesn’t look like we’ve seen anything in terms of structural damage.”
The closest Canadian community to the epicenter is Haines Junction, Bird said, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) away. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics lists its 2022 population as 1,018.
The quake also occurred about 91 kilometers (56 miles) from Yakutat, Alaska, where the USGS says 662 residents live.
The earthquake struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers (six miles) and was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks.
This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
