7.3-magnitude quake triggers tsunami warning off Alaska coast, canceled after 2 hours

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through the seafloor 54 miles south of Sand Point, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at 12:38 p.m. Alaska Time — a violent jolt that sent coastal residents scrambling for higher ground, only to be told, two hours later, that the worst had passed. The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning stretching 700 miles along Alaska’s southern coastline, from Kennedy Entrance to Unimak Pass, including the island community of Kodiak with its 5,200 residents. By 2:42 p.m., the alert was lifted. No tsunami arrived. But the fear? That was real.

What Happened Beneath the Sea

The quake struck at a depth of 38.0 kilometers (23.6 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey, which later upgraded its initial 7.2 reading to 7.3. That’s not just a technical adjustment — it’s the difference between a major quake and a truly powerful one. The rupture extended roughly 300 kilometers along the subduction zone stretching from southern Kodiak Island to the northern tip of the Shumagin Islands, a geologically restless stretch where the Pacific Plate dives beneath the North American Plate. It’s the same fault system that unleashed the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake — a 9.2 monster that still holds the record for the strongest ever recorded in North America.

Residents in Sand Point, a fishing village perched on Popof Island, reported violent shaking that rattled windows and knocked items off shelves. But with a population of just under 1,000, the immediate damage was minimal. The real concern was the water. Tsunami warnings aren’t issued lightly. They’re based on models that predict how much the seafloor displaced — and how far the resulting waves might travel. In this case, the models showed potential for waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some bays and inlets.

Evacuations and the Quiet After the Alarm

Emergency sirens blared in Kodiak. Boats were pulled from the water. Families drove inland, some heading to schools or community centers designated as evacuation hubs. One resident, Maria Tukel, told LiveNOW from FOX: “We’ve lived here 20 years. We’ve practiced this drill. But you never get used to the sound of the siren.”

The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center, based in Palmer, Alaska, coordinated the response with state and local agencies. Their message was clear: “Evacuate now. Wait for official confirmation before returning.”

By 2:42 p.m., after analyzing data from tide gauges across the region — none of which showed a significant rise in sea level — the warning was canceled. “The ocean didn’t cooperate,” said NWS meteorologist Dan Hines in a press briefing. “The earthquake was powerful, but the seafloor movement didn’t generate the kind of vertical displacement needed to create a destructive tsunami.”

Why the West Coast Was Never in Danger

It’s worth noting: no threat reached Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia. The quake’s location — deep in the Gulf of Alaska, far from the continental shelf — meant the energy was absorbed by the ocean floor rather than projected toward the U.S. West Coast. The National Weather Service explicitly stated this multiple times, even as social media buzzed with doomsday clips.

That’s the irony of modern seismic monitoring: we can detect quakes faster than ever, but we’re still learning how to predict their consequences. The same system that issued the warning also had the precision to cancel it within hours — a testament to decades of investment in Alaska’s early-warning infrastructure.

Mount Rainier’s Quiet Tremors and the Bigger Picture

While Alaska was on alert, another seismic story unfolded thousands of miles away. The USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory reported over 300 small earthquakes beneath Mount Rainier in the past week. Alex Iezzi, a research geophysicist there, offered sobering context: “It’s the most significant swarm we’ve seen since we started monitoring in the 1970s. But Mount Rainier is 500,000 years old. We’ve only watched it for a blink.”

That’s the thing about earthquakes — they’re not always warnings. Sometimes, they’re just reminders. The Earth moves. It always has. Alaska, perched on the Ring of Fire, lives with this truth daily. The Sand Point quake was the 12th event of magnitude 7.0 or greater worldwide in 2025 — and the most powerful in U.S. territory this year.

What’s Next for Alaska’s Coast

The state is already reviewing its evacuation protocols. Some villages, like Sand Point, rely on small boats for emergency transport. Others, like Kodiak, have paved roads leading inland — but many elderly residents don’t drive. Officials are now discussing mobile alert systems that can target neighborhoods, not just entire regions.

Meanwhile, scientists are poring over data from the quake. The USGS has labeled it “significant” — a classification reserved for events scoring over 600 on their formula: magnitude × 100 × (magnitude ÷ 6.5). This one scored 788. That means it’s now archived in the global database of major seismic events, a reference point for future research.

For now, the coast is quiet. Fishermen are back on the water. Kids are back at school. But the memory of that siren? That lingers.