In Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, five powerful earthquakes struck offshore today, with the strongest registering a magnitude of 7.4. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the largest quake occurred at a depth of 20 kilometers and was centred 144 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre today said there is no longer a threat of tsunami waves. The tsunami warning centre initially warned of the potential for major tsunami waves, but later downgraded.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 5.0, was followed by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake at 07:07 UTC, located 151 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 8.7 km, according to the USGS.
Shortly after, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region at 06:49 UTC, around 144 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 20 km. Following this stronger quake, the USGS issued a warning that hazardous tsunami waves are possible within 300 kilometres (186 miles) of the epicentre in the Pacific.
Earlier, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported a magnitude 6.6 earthquake near the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region. GFZ stated that the quake occurred at a depth of 10 km and had initially recorded it as a 6.2-magnitude tremor.