<p>A major 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the US state of Alaska early today, the United States Geological Survey said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 0858 GMT, was located 102 kilometers west of Craig, Alaska at a depth of nine kilometers, according to the USGS.<br />There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.<br /><br />The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no widespread threat of a tsunami at this time, but it issued a regional warning affecting the Alaskan coast near the epicenter.<br />The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.<br /><br />A similar 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands, located just south of the current epicenter, last October. That quake did trigger a small Pacific tsunami which eventually reached the US state of Hawaii without causing any damage.</p>
<p>A major 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the US state of Alaska early today, the United States Geological Survey said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 0858 GMT, was located 102 kilometers west of Craig, Alaska at a depth of nine kilometers, according to the USGS.<br />There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.<br /><br />The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no widespread threat of a tsunami at this time, but it issued a regional warning affecting the Alaskan coast near the epicenter.<br />The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.<br /><br />A similar 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands, located just south of the current epicenter, last October. That quake did trigger a small Pacific tsunami which eventually reached the US state of Hawaii without causing any damage.</p>