Latest news with #RussianAcademyofSciences'
NDTV
31-07-2025
- NDTV
Russia's 'Land Of Fire And Ice' Was Largely Spared By Earthquake, Tsunami
Moscow: A powerful earthquake struck Wednesday off Russia's Far East coast, flooding a fishing port with waves from a tsunami, cutting power to a few areas and sending some panicked residents fleeing buildings but causing only a few injuries. Regional authorities say they were prepared for the 8.8-magnitude quake and the subsequent waves, and moved quickly to keep residents safe. They introduced a state of emergency in some areas, but said there was no major damage. Here is what to know about the Russian areas hit by the quake and tsunami: Dubbed the 'land of fire and ice,' Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Quakes and tsunamis regularly strike the peninsula that lies close to an ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet. The 1,200-kilometer (750-mile)-long peninsula nine time zones east of Moscow faces the Pacific Ocean on its east and the Sea of Okhotsk along its west coast. Kamchatka and a few nearby islands have a population of about 290,000 with about 162,000 of them living in the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Avacha Bay on the peninsula's southeast. There are few roads on the peninsula, and helicopters are the only way to reach most areas. Fishing is the main economic activity. A major base for Russian nuclear submarines is located in Avacha Bay. The tallest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750 meters or 15,584 feet), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. Observers heard explosions and saw streams of lava on its western slopes, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service. Scientists have anticipated the eruption for some time, with the volcano's crater filling with lava for weeks and the mountain emitting plumes of ash. It last erupted in 2023. The four volcanic islands, known in Russia as the Kurils, stretch between Kamchatka and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The islands were captured by the Soviet Union from Japan in the closing days of World War II. Japan asserts territorial rights to the islands it calls the Northern Territories, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty The islands have a population of about 20,000, and the local economy is based on fishing. The Russian military has bolstered its presence in the area, refurbishing a Soviet-era air base and other outposts. The authorities on Kamchatka and the Kurils said they have been prepared for a major quake for a long time and acted quickly to protect the population. The 8.8-magnitude quake, centered about 120 kilometers (75 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, struck at 11:24 a.m. local time (2324 GMT Tuesday, 7:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday) at a depth of about 21 kilometers (13 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. The earthquake appeared to be the strongest on record since the 9.1 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured anywhere. Regional authorities on Kamchatka said several people were injured, but they didn't elaborate. Regional health department chief Oleg Melnikov a few injuries occurred during evacuations, including a hospital patient injured while jumping out of a window. All were in satisfactory condition, he said. Video from Russian media showed doctors on Kamchatka holding a patient and medical equipment as an operating room shook during surgery. The quake damaged a kindergarten in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, but no children were in the building, which was closed for renovation. Municipal workers inspected about 600 apartment buildings and said no evacuations were needed. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was protected from big tsunami waves by its location on Avacha Bay. Emergency workers evacuated about 60 tourists from a beach of black volcanic sand on the Pacific side. Tsunami waves could have been as high as 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) in some sections of the Kamchatka coast, Russia's Oceanology Institute said, noting the biggest were under 6 meters (about 19 1/2 feet) near populated areas of the peninsula and the nearby Kuril islands. Authorities in Severo-Kurilsk, the Kurils' main city, evacuated residents from danger areas to deeper inland. Severo-Kurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said tsunami waves flooded the fishing port along with a fish factory and swept fishing boats out to sea. Power was cut by the flooding, with authorities inspecting the damage. Tourists sailing in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kurils watched as a group of sea lions jumped en masse from a rocky outcropping on Antsiferov Island and swam away as the quake hit, a tour guide said. The sea lions seemed 'very scared and a terrible rumble began,' said tour organizer Alexander Bogoslovskiy, adding that all the tourists were safe from the effects of the quake and tsunami. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted the quake warnings were issued in a timely fashion, people were evacuated quickly, and buildings withstood the shocks.
Yomiuri Shimbun
31-07-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Russia's ‘Land of Fire and Ice' Was Largely Spared by the Nearby Earthquake and Tsunami
MOSCOW (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck Wednesday off Russia's Far East coast, flooding a fishing port with waves from a tsunami, cutting power to a few areas and sending some panicked residents fleeing buildings but causing only a few injuries. Regional authorities say they were prepared for the 8.8-magnitude quake and the subsequent waves, and moved quickly to keep residents safe. They introduced a state of emergency in some areas, but said there was no major damage. Here is what to know about the Russian areas hit by the quake and tsunami: Kamchatka peninsula Dubbed the 'land of fire and ice,' Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Quakes and tsunamis regularly strike the peninsula that lies close to an ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet. The 1,200-kilometer (750-mile)-long peninsula nine time zones east of Moscow faces the Pacific Ocean on its east and the Sea of Okhotsk along its west coast. Kamchatka and a few nearby islands have a population of about 290,000 with about 162,000 of them living in the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Avacha Bay on the peninsula's southeast. There are few roads on the peninsula, and helicopters are the only way to reach most areas. Fishing is the main economic activity. A major base for Russian nuclear submarines is located in Avacha Bay. The tallest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750 meters or 15,584 feet), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. Observers heard explosions and saw streams of lava on its western slopes, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service. Scientists have anticipated the eruption for some time, with the volcano's crater filling with lava for weeks and the mountain emitting plumes of ash. It last erupted in 2023. The Kuril islands The four volcanic islands, known in Russia as the Kurils, stretch between Kamchatka and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The islands were captured by the Soviet Union from Japan in the closing days of World War II. Japan asserts territorial rights to the islands it calls the Northern Territories, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty The islands have a population of about 20,000, and the local economy is based on fishing. The Russian military has bolstered its presence in the area, refurbishing a Soviet-era air base and other outposts. The impact of the quake and tsunami The authorities on Kamchatka and the Kurils said they have been prepared for a major quake for a long time and acted quickly to protect the population. The 8.8-magnitude quake, centered about 120 kilometers (75 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, struck at 11:24 a.m. local time (2324 GMT Tuesday, 7:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday) at a depth of about 21 kilometers (13 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. The earthquake appeared to be the strongest on record since the 9.1 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured anywhere. Regional authorities on Kamchatka said several people were injured, but they didn't elaborate. Regional health department chief Oleg Melnikov a few injuries occurred during evacuations, including a hospital patient injured while jumping out of a window. All were in satisfactory condition, he said. Video from Russian media showed doctors on Kamchatka holding a patient and medical equipment as an operating room shook during surgery. The quake damaged a kindergarten in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, but no children were in the building, which was closed for renovation. Municipal workers inspected about 600 apartment buildings and said no evacuations were needed. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was protected from big tsunami waves by its location on Avacha Bay. Emergency workers evacuated about 60 tourists from a beach of black volcanic sand on the Pacific side. Tsunami waves could have been as high as 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) in some sections of the Kamchatka coast, Russia's Oceanology Institute said, noting the biggest were under 6 meters (about 19 1/2 feet) near populated areas of the peninsula and the nearby Kuril islands. Authorities in Severo-Kurilsk, the Kurils' main city, evacuated residents from danger areas to deeper inland. Severo-Kurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said tsunami waves flooded the fishing port along with a fish factory and swept fishing boats out to sea. Power was cut by the flooding, with authorities inspecting the damage. Tourists sailing in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kurils watched as a group of sea lions jumped en masse from a rocky outcropping on Antsiferov Island and swam away as the quake hit, a tour guide said. The sea lions seemed 'very scared and a terrible rumble began,' said tour organizer Alexander Bogoslovskiy, adding that all the tourists were safe from the effects of the quake and tsunami. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted the quake warnings were issued in a timely fashion, people were evacuated quickly, and buildings withstood the shocks.
Irish Independent
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Volcano erupts after 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia triggers tsunami warnings around Pacific
The shallow quake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate, as were parts of Hawaii. By the evening, Japan, Hawaii and Russia had downgraded most tsunami warnings. But authorities in French Polynesia warned residents of several of the remote Marquesas Islands to move to higher ground and expect waves as high as 2.5metres (8 feet). Tsunami waves began hitting the Marquesas on Wednesday but were forecast to be smaller than initially feared, local authorities said. Some initial wave surges were reported on Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas, about 1,400 km northeast of Tahiti, and between five to 10 additional waves were expected in the coming hours, the high commission said. Russian scientists said the quake in Kamchatka was the most powerful to hit the region since 1952. The US Geological Survey said it was shallow, at a depth of 19.3km, and centred 119 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000. "It felt like the walls could collapse any moment. The shaking lasted continuously for at least three minutes," said Yaroslav, 25, in the city. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia, crediting solid building construction and the smooth operation of alert systems. In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril Islands, tsunami waves exceeded 3 metres, with the largest up to 5 metres, Russia's RIA news agency reported. A quake of magnitude 6.07 later struck the Kuril Islands that lie between Kamchatka and northern Japan, the German Research Center for Geosciences said. Tsunami waves partially flooded the port and a fish processing plant in the town, sweeping vessels from moorings, regional officials and Russia's emergency ministry said. Verified drone footage showed the town's entire shoreline submerged, with taller buildings and some storage facilities surrounded by water. The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting later, a geological monitoring service said. Located around 450 km north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoy is one of the highest volcanoes in the world. "A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions," the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said on Telegram. WAVES IN HAWAII, JAPAN Hawaii recorded waves of up to 1.7 metres while in Japan the largest recorded came to 1.3metres, officials said. Flights out of Honolulu airport resumed in the evening, the transportation department said. Waves of nearly half a metre were observed as far away as California, with smaller ones reaching Canada's province of British Columbia. But a tsunami advisory was cancelled for coastal British Columbia as well as coastal areas of south Alaska. In French Polynesia, waves hit some islands in the early morning hours. In other parts, wave heights were expected to remain below 30 cm, not requiring evacuation or sheltering. While the Marquesas are high-rising volcanic islands, much of French Polynesia consists of low-lying atolls. WARNINGS ACROSS THE PACIFIC Authorities in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, some 970 km off South America's western coast, ordered precautionary evacuations to safe zones. Tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan's Pacific coast and evacuation orders were issued for tens of thousands of people. Workers evacuated the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, where a meltdown following the 2011 tsunami caused a radioactive disaster, operator TEPCO said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said no injuries or damage had been reported, and there were no irregularities at any nuclear plants. 'RING OF FIRE' Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The quake occurred on what is known as a "megathrust fault" where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, according to scientists. The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula off Russia's Far East coast especially vulnerable, and bigger aftershocks could not be ruled out, they said. Video footage from the region's health ministry showed a team of medics in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky performing surgery as the quake shook their operating theatre. The medics used their hands to try to steady both the patient and their equipment, CCTV footage released by the Kamchatka region's health ministry showed.
GMA Network
30-07-2025
- Science
- GMA Network
Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia's far east starts erupting after earthquake
MOSCOW, Russia - The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula began erupting after Wednesday's powerful earthquake in the Pacific, a geological monitoring service said. In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said: "A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions." Located around 450 km (280 miles) north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoy is one of the highest volcanoes in the world. It has erupted several times in recent years. Wednesday's 8.8 magnitude quake off Kamchatka damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, but no fatalities were reported. — Reuters
Rhyl Journal
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Rhyl Journal
Tsunami warnings scaled back after waves crash into Japan, Hawaii and US coast
Several people were injured, but none seriously, and no major damage has been reported so far. Authorities warned that the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. But the danger already appeared to be lessening in some places, with Hawaii and parts of Japan downgrading their warnings. Authorities on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, near the quake's epicentre, cancelled their tsunami warning. But Chile upgraded its warning to the highest level for most of its lengthy Pacific coast, and said it was evacuating hundreds of people, and Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted. Education officials in Ecuador cancelled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well communities along the coast. Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Kamchatka, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and motorways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea. While tsunami advisories remained in place along much of the US west coast, homeland security chief Kristi Noem said the worst was over. 'We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary, but grateful that we didn't have to deal with the situation that this could have been,' she told reporters. Unusually strong currents and unpredictable surges were expected in places as far away as New Zealand, and the National Weather Service warned the San Francisco Bay Area could see 'some seriously dangerous currents along beaches and harbours'. Meanwhile, lava began to flow from a volcano on Kamchatka, the largest active one in the Northern Hemisphere. Observers also heard explosions, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service said. People flocked 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 on Wednesday. Russian authorities said several people were injured, but all were in stable condition, though they gave few details. In Japan, at least one person was injured. A tsunami height of 10 to 13ft was recorded in Kamchatka, 2ft on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and 2 to 5ft in San Francisco, officials said. Much of the US west coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory. Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, had been lifted. An advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbours. The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning co-ordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska. '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 airplane — 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.' Hawaii governor Josh Green earlier said helicopters and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities needed to rescue people. Oregon Department of Emergency Management said small tsunami waves were expected along the coast. 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. A tsunami of less than a foot was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and waves of up to 1.4ft above tide levels were observed in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Russia's Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves might have been as high as 30 to 50ft in some sections of the Kamchatka coast. Later, authorities on the peninsula and the Kuril islands cancelled tsunami warnings, though they said some risk remained. The regional branch of Russia's Emergency Ministry on Kamchatka warned that scientists expect aftershocks at magnitudes of up to 7.5. It said more tsunamis are possible in Avacha Bay, where the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located. Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital patient was injured while jumping out of a window. He said all injured people were stable. A video released by Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped. Authorities introduced a state of emergency on the sparsely populated Kurils — which are between Kamchatka and Japan — after the tsunami. They earlier reported that several waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. The port's mayor said no major damage was recorded. The quake struck at 8.25am Japan time with a magnitude of 8.8 magnitude and a depth of about 13 miles, according to the US Geological Survey. It was centred about 75 miles from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off north-eastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world. The tsunami alert disrupted transport in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations. A tsunami of 2ft was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves including 8in in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake. Japan's Meteorological Agency later downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory along its Pacific coast. Authorities in the Philippines, Mexico and New Zealand also warned residents to watch for waves and strong currents. People were also urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.
