No tsunami risk in B.C after M7.5 earthquake hits Alaska
Alaska remains on alert after a strong earthquake struck the remote regions of the latter Monday afternoon local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The magnitude 7.5 tremor struck 91 kilometres southeast of Sand Point, Alaska. It occurred at a depth of 40.1 kilometres.
While the B.C. government has determined there is no tsunami threat to the province following the earthquake, a tsunami advisory remains in place for south Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tweeted that a wave height of 2 feet (0.6 metres) was observed at Sand Point, Alaska.
A #tsunami with a height of 2 ft/0.6 m was observed at Sand Point, AK. The warning remains in effect for South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula for a magnitude 7.5 #earthquake. No warnings are in effect for anywhere else at this time.https://t.co/yiiFYaGJFw
— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) October 19, 2020
B.C. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest are some of the most earthquake-prone parts of North America, and B.C. itself sees more earthquakes in a year than all the rest of Canada combined. in a year than all the rest of Canada combined.
That’s because the region is part of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where the Juan de Fuca plate is descending beneath, or “subducting,” the much larger North American plate. From time to time one plate will stick to another, causing a buildup of pressure that is released as earthquakes.
This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned to The Weather Network as more information comes in.