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Massive 7.9 earthquake hits off Alaskan coast, triggers tsunami warning

A massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Alaska, initially triggering a tsunami warning for US and Canada's west coast.

The earthquake hit in the Gulf of Alaska, 250 kilometres southeast of Chiniak on Kodiak Island, at a depth of approximately 9.6 kilometres.

The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake as magnitude 8.2 before later revising it down to 7.9.

The 7.9 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami warning.
The 7.9 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami warning.

Authorities told people living in coastal areas of Alaska and Canada's British Columbia to evacuate homes and businesses and move to higher ground.

"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 said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia.

However, the tsunami warning was cancelled several hours later and revised down to "advisory" level.

"Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said after the earthquake hit.

In Tofino on Vancouver Island, off Canada's west coast, residents gathered in a local community centre to await the tsunami, which was predicated to hit at 4.40am local time.

US west coast states of Washington, Oregon and California were also issued with tsunami alerts, with locals told to take refuge on higher ground in affected areas, before the warning was downgraded.

The US National Weather Service in Boston tweeted that a buoy "northeast of the epicentre has recorded a water displacement of 10 metres."

An estimate of how long it would take a tsunami wave to reach American and Asian coastlines. Source: US Tsunami Warning System
An estimate of how long it would take a tsunami wave to reach American and Asian coastlines. Source: US Tsunami Warning System

Hawaii was also issued with an initial tsunami warning which has since been revoked, while Japan's meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.

Locals in the Alaskan city of Anchorage told the Daily Star they were alerted to the danger by text messages.

“I’m here in Anchorage, Alaska," Shaun Dyess said. "It was shaking for a long time. Hope no one got hurt.”

Another Anchorage resident, Heather Rand, told CNN that the earthquake "was a slow roller, so it was felt for at least a minute before the real rolling started."

"It was a very long, slow build up," she said.

"Creepy, more than anything. Definitely the longest, and I was born here."

Social media reports suggested tremors had been felt as far south as Seattle and Vancouver.

"Tsunami sirens going off in Kodiak after the earthquake, I usually only ever hear the weekly siren test at 2pm on Wednesdays so hearing it at 1am on Tuesday is actually terrifying!!," one Twitter user wrote.

Hundreds travelled to Kodiak Island Borough District School to use it as an emergency shelter, The Daily Star reported.

Alaska sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, a huge area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean which is highly seismically active - approximately 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes and more than 80 per cent of the highest-magnitude earthquakes strike along the Ring of Fire.

The quake came just hours after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesia island of Java.

There were no immediate reports of serious structural damage and no tsunami warnings were issued.