A powerful earthquake has struck eastern Russia, prompting a tsunami warning for the area.
The earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter Scale and hit the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy near the Kamchatka peninsula. It occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles) as reported by the US Geological Survey. The region is of strategic importance to Russia, housing the Russian Pacific Submarine Fleet and several airbases.
Among the key installations in the area are the Yelizovo Air Base in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Vilyuchinsk Submarine Base 20-30 km away in Vilyuchinsk, and the Sharomy Air Base located about 143 km north of the city. The status of the evacuation of submarines and airplanes in response to the earthquake remains unclear, and details on the extent of the damage caused are limited.
The governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, has activated all emergency services and issued a tsunami warning in collaboration with Russian authorities. The US National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii has issued a tsunami advisory post the earthquake, urging nations, including Japan, to prepare for potential tsunami effects across the Pacific, particularly in Hawaii.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with a population of 181,000, is situated on the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc, a seismic hotspot extending 2,100 km from Hokkaido, Japan, along the Kuril Islands and the Pacific coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. This region is known for high seismic activity, with historical records showing significant earthquakes like the 1952 event measuring 9.0 magnitude.
This recent earthquake, the second in less than a week, struck the Kamchatka peninsula early on Saturday, September 13, according to the US Geological Survey. It follows a previous massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the region, the sixth strongest ever recorded. The epicentre of this quake was reported to be 111.7 km (69.3 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with a depth of around 39 km (24 miles). Unlike the current situation, no tsunami warning was issued for the previous earthquake, considered an aftershock to the earlier magnitude 8.8 event in July.
The recent earthquake, originating approximately 20 km deep, ranks among the top 10 strongest quakes in history and the largest globally since 2011. It triggered tsunami alerts and evacuations in Russia, Japan, and Hawaii, with advisories reaching as far as the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Peru.
While the 7.4 magnitude earthquake last week was less disruptive, the one occurring on September 18 appears to be more intense.
