A powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck a remote region near the Alaska-Yukon border on Saturday, though officials reported no immediate damage or injuries.
No tsunami warning was issued following the tremor.
The US Geological Survey pinpointed the epicentre approximately 230 miles (370 kilometres) northwest of Juneau, Alaska, and 155 miles (250 kilometres) west of Whitehorse, Yukon. In Whitehorse, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Calista MacLeod confirmed that the detachment received two 911 calls regarding the seismic event.
“It definitely was 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 the Yukon most affected by the temblor is home to scenic mountains and few people.
“Mostly people have reported things falling off shelves and walls,” Bird said. “It doesn’t seem like we’ve seen anything in terms of structural damage.”
Yukon mapped:
The Canadian community nearest to the epicenter is Haines Junction, Bird said, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) away. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics lists its population count for 2022 as 1,018.
The quake was also about 56 miles (91 kilometers) from Yakutat, Alaska, which the USGS said has 662 residents.
It struck at a depth of about 6 miles (10 kilometers) and was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks.
