In this photo taken from AP video, provided by by the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano is seen in Kamchatka Peninsula, about 500 km (310 miles) north to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. (AP) An earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Friday, prompting a tsunami warning for the region’s eastern coast.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at 7.8 magnitude, while Russian authorities initially reported it at 7.2.
The governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, said on Telegram that residents were being alerted to the danger but added there were no immediate reports of damage, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the US tsunami warning system said it had not issued any advisory of a tsunami threat following the quake.
The latest jolt comes just weeks after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the same region on July 29. That event, one of the strongest globally in over a decade and tied as the sixth-largest ever recorded, triggered widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
Following the July quake, tsunami alerts were issued for Russia, Japan, Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, and several Pacific islands. Kamchatka officials reported waves of up to 3–4 metres in some areas, prompting evacuations in coastal settlements such as Severo-Kurilsk.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency also warned of tsunami waves as high as 3 metres along parts of its Pacific coast, while portions of the US West Coast were placed under advisory. Though the broader risk of severe inundation was considered lower, authorities across the Pacific urged vigilance at the time.
