Magnitude 7.9 earthquake near Alaska's Aleutian Islands creates small tsunami, threat passes

Tuesday, June 24, 2014, 7:46 AM - A magnitude 7.9 earthquake near Alaska's Aleutian Islands triggered a tsunami warning on Monday.

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The National Tsunami Warning Center cancelled all tsunami warnings about four hours later after only small waves, with the largest being about 18 cm, were recorded.

Residents in some communities like Adak, which were first in line for the tsunami, did evacuate, according to The Associated Press.

The Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says there were no reports of damage or injuries.

While it was initially thought the quake and tsunami could impact B.C., Emergency Measures British Columbia said there was no threat to other U.S. or Canadian areas along the Pacific coast.

Update: No threat to #BC RT @nws_ntwc: TSUNAMI ADVISORY 4: See https://t.co/3pkx2cVZlb for alert areas. M8.0 025Mi NW Amchitka, Alaska...

— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) June 23, 2014

The earthquake was first measured at magnitude 8.0, but was later downgraded to a magnitude 7.9.

Officials say the quake was widely felt in Adak and shaking could also be felt in Shemya and other villages along the island chain.

Several strong aftershocks were reported, but experts say they were too small to trigger a tsunami.

EARTHQUAKE HITS NEW ZEALAND

Earlier Monday, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of New Zealand. 

There have been no reports of significant damage or injuries. The quake did not trigger any tsunami warnings.

RELATED VIDEO: EARTHQUAKES IN VANCOUVER

With files from The Associated Press