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.

The quake that struck Alaska’s southern coast on Wednesday, July 16 is part of a larger sequence that may continue to unfold in destructive ways.

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.