A tsunami watch has been issued for Hawaii following a large earthquake off the Alaska peninsula.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) listed the magnitude as 8.1 and said “an investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii”, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
But the US Geological Survey (USGS) said it was an 8.2 magnitude quake and hit 56 miles east-southeast of Perryville, Alaska.
The quake was about 29 miles below the surface of the ocean, according to the USGS.
Two other earthquakes with preliminary magnitudes of 6.2 and 5.6 occurred in the same area within half an hour of the first one, the USGS reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a notice that the potential threat to Guam and American Samoa was still under investigation.
“Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre,” the PTWC said.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicentre. It might have caused light to moderate damage.
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