An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck the Alaska Peninsula on Wednesday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The powerful quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.21 miles), raising concerns about potential damage.

Following the tremor, the US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning for parts of coastal Alaska. Authorities have urged residents in affected areas to stay alert and follow safety instructions.

Emergency services are monitoring the situation, and further details are awaited.

TECTONIC PLATES DRIVE FREQUENT SEISMIC EVENTS

Alaska is the most seismically active state in the United States, accounting for approximately 11% of the world’s earthquakes and 17.5% of those in the US. The high level of seismic activity is driven by its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate along the Alaska-Aleutian Megathrust, a major fault system stretching over 2,500 miles.

This tectonic boundary is responsible for some of the largest earthquakes in history, including the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, a magnitude 9.2 event that remains the most powerful recorded in North America and the second largest globally.

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