A general view shows the aftermath of an earthquake and tsunami that hit the northern port of Iquique, April 2, 2014. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.2, struck off the coast of northern Chile near the copper exporting port of Iquique on Tuesday even
A general view shows the aftermath of an earthquake and tsunami that hit the northern port of Iquique, April 2, 2014. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.2, struck off the coast of northern Chile near the copper exporting port of Iquique on Tuesday evening, killing six and triggering the tsunami that pounded the shore with 2-meter (7-foot) waves. REUTERS/Francisco Alcayaga Motta REUTERS/Francisco Alcayaga Mot

An earthquake of 7.9 magnitude strength struck about 15 miles from Little Sitkin Island, Alaska, on Monday, triggering small tsunamis with less than seven inches high of waves.

Sparsely populated villages in an area 1,400 miles southwest of Anchorage widely felt the temblor.

No reports of major damages were declared.

"There was no panic," SkyNews quoted Layton Lockett, city manager in the town of Adak. Lockett was the one who sounded the alarms, telling 150 villagers and people to seek higher ground. "We're a rough and tumble kind of group. We're used to certain types of earthquake, some are stronger ... this one was a little bit more," he added.

Two hours after the initial alert was sounded, residents were back down and everything was normal again.

Ian Dickson, Web site manager for the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, likewise said no initial reports of quake damage were received from Shemya Island.

The 7-inch high tsunami occurred at Amchitka Island. It had diminished even before it reached Adak and Shemya.

According to a report by the AP, U.S. military-operated Eareckson Air Station is located in Shemya Island. The station serves as an early warning radar installation. No damage was found to the air station, Air Force officials said.

Amchitka Island, meantime, was where the U.S. government held underground testings of nuclear weapons in the 1960s and 70s.

Dickson said 17 aftershocks occurred in the first two hours after the quake.