6.9 earthquake strikes off Alaska, no tsunami warning issued

A 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the Alaskan Peninsula early Saturday morning, the US Geological Survey reported.

Despite the size of the quake, no tsunami warnings were issued. The closest place to the epicenter was Perryville, home to a little more than 100 people 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest. Much of the land around the part of the Gulf of Alaska where the earthquake struck just before 4 a.m. is home to wildlife refuges.

Alaska is a hotbed of seismic activity. The Alaska Earthquake Center, housed at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, detects an earthquake every 15 minutes, on average, according to its website.

The center also says that 75 per cent of all US earthquakes with a magnitude over 5 occur in Alaska.