WHITEHORSE -- A moderate earthquake has shaken the northwestern tip of British Columbia, along the Alaska and Yukon borders.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the shaker at 7:49 a.m. (Pacific Time) had a magnitude of 5.6 and was centred in a sparsely populated region of B.C., about 100 km southwest of Whitehorse.

The quake, at a depth of about 4.7 km, triggered a flood of phone calls to media outlets by residents reporting a distinct rolling sensation.

News director Ron McFadyen of CKRW Whitehorse says people described the tremor as "the strongest in recent memory," although no damage is reported.

His wife Cathy was in the shower in their basement when she "felt the shower moving and had to put her hands to the side to steady herself."

Wayne Merry of Atlin, B.C., about 100 km to the east of the epicentre, says "it was a long, continuous shake with a quick vibration (lasting) about 20 seconds or so."