An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale shook Haines Junction at 7:32 this morning, though the tremor was mild and over quickly, residents say.

'It shook the house,' Danielle Drummond said in an interview. 'I thought it was a big truck driving by.'

She said it was over quickly, but definitely noticeable.

The quake was not strong enough to shake anything down off the walls, Drummond confirmed.

Mayor John Farynowski said he didn't feel the quake. In hindsight, he suspects it was the tremor that caused his dog to start barking and whimpering.

Paul Whitmore of the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre in Palmer said the epicentre of the earthquake was approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Haines Junction.

'Usually you won't have any damage from an earthquake that size,' said the centre's director. 'But typically, those nearby would have felt it, possibly sharply, but it should not have lasted long.'

It was 14 months ago, in November 2002, when a near-record quake measuring 7.9 shook Alaska and the Yukon. The epicentre was recorded 106 kilometres south of Fairbanks.

It caused significant structural damage in the state, and even compelled Yukon officials to check bridges for potential damage.

It was the largest since the 1964 earthquake that rocked the state, triggered a tidal wave and caused more than 100 deaths.