6.6 Quake Hits in Gulf of Alaska

PALMER, Alaska —  An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck Friday in the Gulf of Alaska, but no damage or injuries were reported, officials said.

The Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer said the quake was centered 170 miles south of Cape Yakataga and 320 miles west of Juneau.

The temblor was felt strongly in Yakutat, a town of about 500 some 170 miles northeast of the epicenter, and observers said the shaking lasted at least a minute.

Seismologist George Carte said a pair of 7.6 quakes centered in the same area hit during the winter of 1987-88 and created small tsunamis, or waves, that caused damage at Yakutat. The area is along the boundary of the Earth’s North American and Pacific plates, a piece of which is breaking away and causing quakes, he said.