A powerful earthquake, measured at 8.8 on the Richter Scale, struck the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday. The seismic event triggered tsunami alerts for the entire U.S. West Coast and prompting evacuation warnings in Hawaii.
The earthquake was recorded at 7:24 p.m. ET, about 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said in its updated assessment. The agency said the quake was shallow, at a depth of about 11 miles.A tsunami warning was in place for Hawaii and along Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands. A tsunami could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in Hawaii, the weather service said, adding “urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.”A tsunami is a long series of waves that may extensively flood coastal areas and present dangers that could continue for many hours after the initial waves arrive. All shores are at risk in Hawaii no matter which direction they face.Residents in the Aleutian Islands were advised to move out of the water and away from beaches, harbors, marines and inlets. Tsunamis can generate strong waves and currents, with waves that may last up to 45 minutes as it encroaches and recedes, the warning center stated. Coasts facing all directions are threatened because the waves can wrap around islands and headlands and into bays.
Tsunami waves had been reported along the Russian coast, and Japan ordered some evacuations as it anticipated waves of approximately 10 feet to reach its shores.
A tsunami with a height of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) was recorded in parts of Kamchatka, Sergei Lebedev, regional minister for emergency situations, said, urging people to move away from the shoreline of the peninsula.The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centered about 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 along the coast of Avacha Bay. It revised the magnitude up from 8.0 earlier.A volcano in the area erupted later Tuesday night.https://twitter.com/volcaholic1/status/1950534042765471910The Japan Weather Agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT. The country’s public broadcaster NHK said evacuation orders had been issued by the government for some areas.Factory workers and residents in Japan’s northern Hokkaido evacuated to a hill overlooking the ocean, footage from broadcaster TBS showed.
Tsunami waves reached Japan within several hours. One man described them on X as “massive.”
Another reported that “at least 4 whales have washed up along the coast of Japan” and “civilians [were] seen on top of [a] building in Hokkaido, Japan.”
Bracing for the worst, Hawaii fared far better than expected.
Fox News reported:
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center late Tuesday downgraded a tsunami warning in Hawaii to a “tsunami advisory” officials said.The PTWC says it is continuing to monitor data to update its forecast and for an “all clear” that they may issue later on, Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan said at a press conference shared by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.An advisory means the potential for strong currents or dangerous waves are expected or are occurring for those in or near the water, Logan said.
Tsunami waves were projected to hit California shortly after midnight.
Shortly before 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s office in Eureka, California, reported, “Tsunami activity is continuing to build this morning as we approach the 4 AM minor high tide.” The service confirmed maximum wave heights so far of 3.6 feet in Crescent City, 3 feet in Arena Cove, and 1.2 feet in Humboldt Bay.
The earthquake’s epicenter was offshore, approximately 85 miles (136 kilometers) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and at a shallow depth of about 12 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
This area, specifically around the Kamchatka Trench, is where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate, making it prone to massive earthquakes and tsunamis. This region was also responsible for the recent seismic event (7.3 Richter Scale) in Alaska that triggered tsunami alerts.
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