Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula was hit with a 8.8 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, and this has triggered tsunami warnings across Japan and by the US Tsunami Warning Center.
Russia Earthquake: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Kamchatka Peninsula, Tsunami Alert Issued In Japan
Japan's weather agency has warned that a three metre tall tsunami is expected to hit its large coastal areas starting by 1am
The 8.8 magnitude quake— the highest ever recorded is 9.5– has Hawaii, Japan, Australia on watch for a tsunami on Tuesday. The Russian east coast is also on alert according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has said the quake was undersea and thr epicentre was located roughly 250 kilometres from Japan’s northern island Hokkaido. While Japan felt only slight tremors, JMA issued a tsunami advisory for the Pacific coastline, saying waves could reach heights up to 3.3 feet.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was shallow, with a depth of 19.3 km. Its epicentre was identified about 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a 165,000-strong city along Avacha Bay. The USGS had first estimated the quake’s magnitude at 8 but revised it to 8.7.
In a video posted on Telegram, Kamchatka’s Governor Vladimir Solodov said that the tremor was "the strongest in decades of tremors". He added that so far no injuries had been reported “but a kindergarten was damaged.”
An evacuation order was issued for the town of Severo-Kurilsk, located south of the Kamchatka Peninsula, due to tsunami threats, according to Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko.
While both Kamchatka and Japan both lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire
Both countries are the world’s most tectonically active zones, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent. Earlier this July, the region experienced five major earthquakes, the strongest was a 7.4-magnitude quake, located 144 km (89 miles) offshore from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
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