A powerful 7.3‑magnitude earthquake rocked the waters off Alaska’s southern island on July 16, 2025, triggering an urgent tsunami advisory that had coastal residents rushing to safety. The quake hit around 12:38 p.m. local time, about 54 miles south of Sand Point, nestled in the Aleutian Island chain.
This tremor is the strongest in nearly 30 years, only just surpassing a 7.2 quake in 1996, though still far below the legendary 1964 9.2‑magnitude Great Alaska Earthquake. It struck at a depth of roughly 12 to 20 miles, underwater in the Pacific Ocean.
Immediately after the quake, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for communities along Alaska’s southern peninsula—stretching from Kennedy Entrance near Homer to Unimak Pass near Unalaska. The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated Kodiak, and sirens echoed in places like Kodiak and Cold Bay, urging residents to seek higher ground.
But as officials gathered more data, the warning was lowered to an advisory and then officially canceled by late afternoon. At Sand Point, a buoy measured only a tiny 0.2‑foot tsunami, around 2–3 inches above normal tide levels.
Despite being powerful enough to be felt far from the epicenter—others reported shakes as distant as Anchorage, Seattle, and even Japan—authorities confirmed no reports of serious damage. A few smaller aftershocks, between 4.0 and 5.2 magnitude, followed the main event.
This quake highlights Alaska’s position along the volatile Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where seismic activity is common. Still, experts like Dr. Michael West from the Alaska Earthquake Center noted that this region has seen several magnitude‑7+ quakes in recent years, and remains primed for major seismic shifts.
For now, life for the coastal communities is returning to normal—no damage, no major waves, and most importantly, no lives lost. But the event serves as a stark reminder that when the earth rumbles along the Aleutian chain, every minute counts.
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