Wednesday’s magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain struck in a region that has experienced a handful of powerful quakes within the last five years — including one that shook communities almost exactly two years earlier.

I’ve got liquid smoke and barbecue sauce and pickles ... broken on the floor,” the manager of the local general store said. “It smells horrendous in here.”

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska on July 16, 2025. While significant, the 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake was a massive one with a 9.2 magnitude. It was the strongest ever recorded in North America and caused a huge tsunami across the Pacific.