Kamchatka: A series of strong earthquakes struck off the coast of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Sunday, July 20, including a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake following which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a tsunami warning.
While no casualties have been reported so far, authorities are closely monitoring the situation currently.
Tsunami Alert Issued
The most powerful earthquake hit at 08:49 GMT, registering 7.4 in magnitude and prompting the USGS to issue a tsunami alert for coastal regions within 300 kilometres of the epicentre. According to the reports, “hazardous tsunami waves are possible” in the Pacific near the quake’s origin, which was located roughly 140 kilometres east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital.
Earlier in the day, two other significant quakes, measuring 7.0 and 6.7, were also recorded in the same region but did not trigger tsunami warnings. Several strong aftershocks followed, including another 6.7-magnitude tremor, adding to fears of further seismic activity.
Seismic Hotspot Remains Unpredictable
The Kamchatka Peninsula lies on a volatile tectonic boundary where the Pacific and North American plates meet, making it one of the most earthquake-prone areas on Earth. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) also reported twin earthquakes of 6.6 and 6.7 magnitudes on Sunday, both at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
This region has a history of devastating seismic activity. One of the strongest events occurred on 4 November 1952, when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed 30-foot waves in Hawaii but caused little damage in Kamchatka itself.
Fortunately, in the latest string of tremors, no US territories appear to fall within the alert zone across the Pacific.
