7.9 Alaska earthquake: No tsunami threat for Pacific Coast

The National Weather Service said an 7.9 earthquake in Alaska on Monday was too deep to cause a tsunami along California and the Pacific Coast.

The quake Monday afternoon was in the region of the Rat Islands.

Officials sent a bulletin saying no tsunami warning would be issued for the Pacific region but that a warning was being sent for areas of the Aleutian Islands near the epicenter. After only small waves were observed in Alaska, the NWS downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory. The quake was originally listed as an 8.0 but was downgraded to 7.9.

While no tsunamis are expected, the NWS posted a map showing the timelines of any waves headed to the California Coast. The map shows any wave action from the quake would arrive at the California coast in 5-6 hours.

The U.S. Geological Survey released a study last year that showed a massive Alaska quake could produce a damaging tsunami for California.

The study was modeled on a 9.1 magnitude quake in Alaska shallower than the one Monday. The report said such a quake could cause a tsunami that would damage California harbors and cause mass evacuations.

“In California marinas, one third of the boats could be damaged or sunk and two thirds of the docks damaged or destroyed, resulting in at least $700 million of loss,” the report said.