7.2 magnitude earthquake off Alaskan coast triggers tsunami warning

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska late Saturday, triggering a brief tsunami advisory for the southern part of the state, officials said.

The temblor occurred 65.8 miles south of Sand Point, Alaska, at 10:48 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said on social media. 

The U.S. National Weather Service sent a tsunami advisory for coastal Alaska from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass, saying the quake occurred at a depth of 13 miles. The agency canceled the advisory about an hour after the first alert.

The quake rattled throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Alaskan Peninsula and Cook Inlet regions, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.

TOURISTS WARNED TO STAY AWAY FROM ERUPTING VOLCANO IN ICELAND DUE TO SPEWING LAVA, NOXIOUS GASES

There were an estimated eight aftershocks in the same area of Alaska, including one measuring 5.0 magnitude within three minutes of the original earthquake, KTUU-TV reported.

Video on social media showed residents of Kodiak driving to shelters as sirens warned of a possible tsunami.

6.6 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES ATLANTIC OCEAN NEAR THE CARIBBEAN

Alaska experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, most of which are too deep and too small to be felt. 

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Alaska is the most seismically active state in the U.S. and the location of the second-largest earthquake ever recorded, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. In 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Prince William Sound caused extensive damage throughout south-central Alaska.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.