5.1 earthquake shakes Alaska, British Columbia

This undated photo provided by US Fish and Wildlife shows Walrus cows and yearlings resting on ice in Alaska. (AP photo)

JUNEAU, Alaska: A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook Alaska about 217 kilometres northwest of the state's capital city Juneau.

Coincidentally, the City and Borough of Juneau's Disaster Preparedness Expo was winding down as the earthquake hit Saturday afternoon. No damage was immediately reported.

The National Weather Service stated there was no tsunami threat from the earthquake.

The quake was centred in the narrow sliver of British Columbia, which separates Southeast Alaska and the Yukon. It shook near the Eastern Denali Fault -- the same area that experienced a series of larger earthquakes earlier this year.

That string of earthquakes topped out with a magnitude 6.3, which was 10 times stronger than the one felt on Saturday.