On Sunday, three strong earthquakes hit the eastern coast of Russia near the Kamchatka Peninsula, raising fears of a tsunami.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the first earthquake had a magnitude of 5.0. It was followed by a stronger one, measuring 6.7, at 7:07 AM UTC. This second quake was recorded 151 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 8.7 km.
Just before that, at 6:49 AM UTC, the largest quake struck — a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake — 144 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 20 km. After this major tremor, the USGS issued a tsunami warning. It said that dangerous tsunami waves could occur within 300 km (186 miles) of the earthquake’s center in the Pacific Ocean.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) also reported a 6.6-magnitude quake in the same region, originally recording it as a 6.2 quake. It occurred at a depth of 10 km.
As of now, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is located where two tectonic plates — the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate — meet. This area often experiences strong earthquakes. Since 1900, at least seven powerful quakes with magnitudes above 8.3 have occurred here.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
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