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A large earthquake struck off the Andreanof Islands in the
Aleutian Islands in southern Alaska
late Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
The quake stuck at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday with 7.2-magnitude on
the Richter scale and was centered about 125 miles west of Adak in the island
chain, according to a preliminary report by the USGS, the Associated Press
reports.
The quake triggered a brief tsunami warning for the Alaska coast from Nikolski to Attu,
on Wednesday morning, which was later canceled.
"No destructive tsunami has been recorded, and no tsunami danger exists
along the coasts of the U.S. West Coast states, Alaska
and British Columbia.
Local authorities can assume all clear upon receipt of this message," the
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning
Center in Palmer, Alaska, said, according to the Disaster News
Network.
According to the Alaska
Earthquake Information
Center, the quake was
quickly followed by at least three aftershocks with a 5.0 magnitude or more.
The Aleutian Islands includes a chain of more than 300
islands that extend southwestward from Alaska
into the northern Pacific Ocean.
A bigger earthquake with a magnitude 8.8 on the Richter
scale struck the Andreanof Island in March 1957, which caused severe damage on
Adak and Unimak Islands. The quake was followed by a
damaging tsunami, which lead to a 40-feet wall of water smashing the coastline
of Scotch Cap on Unimak Island.
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