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A substantial magnitude-7.0 earthquake jolted a secluded region near the Alaska-Yukon border on Saturday. Thankfully, no tsunami alert was issued, and authorities reported no immediate signs of damage or injuries.
The earthquake’s epicenter was identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as being approximately 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Juneau, Alaska, and about 155 miles (250 kilometers) west of Whitehorse, Yukon.
In Whitehorse, Sgt. Calista MacLeod of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police noted that the station received two emergency calls regarding the tremor.
“It was definitely noticeable,” MacLeod commented. “Many on social media have expressed feeling it.”
Alison Bird, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, mentioned that the area in Yukon most impacted by the quake is sparsely populated and largely mountainous.
“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.”
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.