A warning for ”widespread hazardous tsunami waves” has been issued after a 7.9 earthquake hit off the south-east coast of Alaska.
Further minor earthquakes followed in Alaska and Hawaii, with people urged to get inland and stay away from the coast.
Where in Alaska and Hawaii have earthquakes hit today?
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake was measured around 280km (174 miles) southeast of the town of Kodiak at about 9.30am GMT on Tuesday (12.30am local time).
It is among one of the strongest earthquakes in US history and prompted a tsunami alert for the west coast of America.
The earthquake hit at a depth of 25km (15.5 miles) and 10 metres (32 feet) waves have already been reported.
A tsunami warning is in place for coastal Alaska and the west coast of British Colombia in Canada.
Further warnings are in place for the entirety of the US west coast, including California and Oregon, part of Washington state and Hawaii.
“Hazardous tsunami waves” are possible within the next three hours and a tsunami could be “destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
People have reported feeling the effects of the earthquake hundreds of miles away in Anchorage.
Only four earthquakes with a greater magnitude have ever been recorded in the US. All of the bigger earthquakes were in Alaska and caused a tsunami.
People within the tsunami warning area have been told to get inland or to get to higher ground immediately.
The quake was initially measured at 8.2 on the Richter Scale, but was later downgraded to a magnitude of 7.9 by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Further earthquakes have been recorded in Alaska and Hawaii following the first one at 12.30am (local time).
These are the other earthquakes measured by the USGC in GMT:
- 9.38am – 3.7 earthquake 59km northeast of Honoka’a Hawaii
- 9.47am – 4.6 earthquake 258km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 9.48am – 3.8 earthquake 109km southeast of Old Illiamna, Alaska
- 9.59am – 4.8 earthquake 259km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 10.05am – 4.7 earthquake 244km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 10.16am – 5.0 earthquake 283km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 10.21am – 4.6 earthquake 244km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 10.34am – 4.2 earthquake 273km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska
- 10.39am – 3.1 earthquake 42km northwest of Kodiak station, Alaska
- 10.42am – 4.5 earthquake 295km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska