Yukon earthquake: Powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hits close to Alaska

Hundreds of reports of people feeling the shaking have come in

Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, Canada, close to the epicentre of the quake

(AFP)

A powerful earthquake has been felt in western Canada close to the border with Alaska.

The quake, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said measured 6.2 in magnitude on the Richter scale, struck early on Monday.

The temblor, hit northwest of Mosquito Lake, a hamlet with a population of about 300 that lies 55 miles west-northwest of Skagway, Alaska, the USGS said on its website. Soon after it struck, the USGS made a preliminary estimate of 6.5.

At least three aftershocks have been recorded, geophysicist Amy Vaughan told the Associated Press, and Ms Vaughan expected more.

She said this type of quake has the potential to cause damage but that the location dropped the chances of major problems. Vaughan says it would have jarred people awake and knocked items off shelves.

Jaimie Lawson, a dispatcher with the Skagway Police Department, says the remote town hadn't received calls about damage or injuries.

The geological survey website has recorded hundreds of reports of people feeling the shaking from the quake, one of more than 13,000 recorded in Alaska this year, according the Alaska Earthquake Center.

Reuters