Earthquake of magnitude 5.93 strikes Indonesia's West Papua region
The quake was at a depth of 10km (6 miles), GFZ said.
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Khaleej Times
19 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Earthquake of magnitude 6.5 strikes east of Kuril Islands
An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck east of the Kuril Islands on Thursday, a statement by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. Earlier on Wednesday, another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the Kuril Islands at a depth of 10 km. Over 125 aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 or greater have occurred near Russia in the more than 16 hours since the massive 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast, according to data from the US Geological Survey, CNN reported. Of those, three have been magnitude 6.0 or greater, with the strongest being a 6.9 that occurred about 45 minutes after the main shock. Strong aftershocks continue to rock the region, with a 6.4 magnitude aftershock striking around 200 miles southwest of Wednesday's main quake's epicentre. Aftershocks are generally strongest and most numerous in the hours to days after the main earthquake, decreasing in number and intensity as time goes on.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Earthquake of 8.8 magnitude sends tsunami to coasts of Russia, Japan and Hawaii
One of the strongest earthquakes recorded has struck Russia's far east, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the west coast of the US. No substantial damage has been reported so far, but authorities warned people to stay away from shorelines and said the risk could last more than a day. Ports on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia near the 8.8-magnitude quake's epicentre flooded as residents fled inland, and frothy, white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and motorways in Hawaii's capital after warnings were issued, with standstill traffic even in areas located away from the shoreline. People went to evacuation centres in affected areas of Japan with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported. Russian authorities said several people were injured, without giving a figure. In Japan, at least one person was injured. A tsunami height of three to four metres was recorded in Kamchatka, 60cm on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and up to 30cm above tide levels were observed in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Hours after the quake on Wednesday morning, Hawaii downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory, while Japan's meteorological agency also lowered its alert to an advisory in the Pacific coast south of Fukushima. The alert remained in place farther north. Hawaii's defence department said the advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbours. Alaska tsunami warning co-ordinator Dave Snider said the impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day. 'A tsunami is not just one wave,' he said. 'It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour – as fast as a jet aeroplane – in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there. 'In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they're going to be moving back and forth for quite a while.' Hawaii Governor Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, between Japan and Hawaii, measured waves from peak to trough of 1.8m. He said waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be. A tsunami of that size would be akin to a 90cm wave riding on top of surf, he said. 'This is a longitudinal wave with great force driving through the shoreline and into land,' he said. Mr Green said Black Hawk helicopters had been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities need to rescue people. 'But please do not put yourself in harm's way,' he said. The Oregon emergency department said small tsunami waves were expected along the coast, starting at about 11.40pm local time. It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbours and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted. 'This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,' the department said. Much of American west coast, spanning California, Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia, was also under an advisory. A tsunami of less than 30cm was forecast to hit parts of Canada's Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The province's emergency preparedness agency said waves were expected to reach remote Langara Island at about 10.50pm on Tuesday and Tofino at 11.30pm. The agency said 'multiple waves over time' were expected. The quake at 8.25am Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, seismologists said. The US Geological Survey later updated the magnitude to 8.8 and the depth to 20.7km. The quake was centred about 119km east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the port in the city was flooded, washing fishing boats into the sea. He said that no major damage was recorded. Power supplies have been shut and the authorities were checking the power network after the flooding.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Tsunami scare amid Russia quake: UAE tourists cancel plans, people evacuate from danger zones
Daria from Kamchatka in Russia was in her pyjamas at home when she felt a powerful quake. Soon after, the sirens in her town began blaring and she rushed out, much like the rest of her district. 'I was quite scared,' she told Khaleej Times. 'This was the most powerful earthquake I have ever felt in my entire life. Everyone in my district ran out on the street, most of them wearing pyjamas just like me and carrying nothing. When the sirens howled, we knew it meant the threat of a tsunami. So the whole crowd went to the high ground. Everyone was panicking.' On Wednesday, a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami alerts across the world including Japan and US and prompting evacuations in several coastal areas. Later in the day, some countries downgraded the alerts. Daria said she was going to spend the next few days in her Dacha — a country house used as a summer home. 'Almost everyone in our city is going away to their dacha,' she said. 'We are incredibly lucky. The last significant earthquake occurred in 1952, when a tsunami wave destroyed several settlements, reaching a height of 15 metres. Thank God, we didn't have to face that, and the situation has improved. The strong tsunami wave has passed by us now.' Change of plans Emirati national Umm Abdul Rahman was in Shanghai with her extended family group of 12 people when news of the tropical cyclone and tsunami reached her. 'We got to know through our family and news reports that warnings were being issued and evacuations were happening,' she said. 'It was extremely windy and raining heavily in the part of Shanghai that we were in. However, we were not in a place that needed evacuations.' She added that she and her family changed their plans due to the weather conditions. 'We were planning to go to the zoo today, but we cancelled that,' she said. 'We did a little bit of shopping in underground areas and then headed straight to the hotel. We dropped the rest of our plans because we didn't want to risk getting caught out in the bad weather.' She said that she was thankful that they were safe. 'We have been following the news and saw that there were mass evacuations in many parts of Shanghai,' she said. 'We are very thankful that our area has been relatively unaffected and we have managed to stay safe.' Alerts issued Former Dubai resident Afzal Hussain was at work in New Zealand when he got an alert on his phone about a tsunami advisory. There was heavy rain and strong winds throughout the day in his city. He left early so he could be home with his teenage daughter. 'School was already over, and my daughter was at a friend's house close by,' he said. 'I got off work early so I could pick her up and we stayed home.' He added that such advisories were fairly regular in New Zealand. 'It is not a very serious weather advisory because there are no evacuations,' he said. 'On such occasions, we don't stock up or anything, but we don't go out much. So, on Wednesday, we just spent the rest of the day at home.'
