Russia: Powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast, tsunami alert triggered
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 150 kilometers off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula this Sunday. No casualties have been reported so far.
The Kamchatka Peninsula, which separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, is often prone to earthquakes. Photo Mikhail Sinitsyn/Sipa
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake, followed by numerous aftershocks, struck off the coast of Kamchatka in Russia's Far East on Sunday, prompting the triggering of a tsunami alert, despite waves measuring only 60 centimeters, according to Moscow.
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"As a result of a series of earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean, a tsunami wave with a height of up to 60 centimeters could occur," the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said on Telegram. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Pacific Ocean, about 150 kilometers from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the Kamchatka region, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
"One of the most exposed regions"Waves caused by the earthquake could reach the Commander Islands, including the village of Nikolskoye. In districts located on the mainland, the wave could reach a maximum of 40 and 15 centimeters, respectively, according to the ministry. The ministry recommends that residents of the affected areas move inland away from the coast and seek refuge at an altitude of at least 30 meters or, in the absence of high ground, at least 2 kilometers from the coast. It also recommends that ships at dock or in coastal waters head toward the ocean.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is where the Pacific and North American tectonic plates meet, making the region one of the most seismically active areas on the planet. The Russian peninsula, which separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, is "one of the most seismically active regions in the world," according to the U.S. National Geophysical Service. Since 1900, seven major earthquakes—magnitude 8.3 or greater—have occurred along the peninsula.
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