Latest news with #megaquake
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Russia earthquake: Magnitude 8.8 megaquake hits Kamchatka, generating tsunamis across the Pacific
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Tsunami warnings have been issued in regions across the Pacific, including Hawaii, Alaska, Russia and Japan, following a magnitude 8.8 "megaquake" — the joint-sixth largest ever recorded — that hit off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula at 11:25 a.m. local time (18:25 p.m. EST) on Wednesday morning (July 30), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Tsunami waves could reach higher than 10 feet (3 meters) above tide level along the coasts of Hawaii, Ecuador and Russia, according to a warning issued by the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center at 11:07 p.m. EST on July 29. The first waves reached Hawaii, with a 4 foot (1.2 m) wall of water recorded by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) off the coast of Oahu, the BBC reports. "A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," the PTWC said in a bulletin. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property." Honolulu's mayor Rick Blangiardi warned residents to move to higher ground and Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, urged people to immediately evacuate coastal regions. In a news conference reported by CNN, Green said "it will not hit one beach, it will wrap around the islands." In Japan, officials have told more than 1.9 million people to evacuate as waves measuring over 4 feet (1.2 m) hit the country's north and east coasts, CNN reports. Footage of tsunami waves hitting the Russian coastal town of Severo-Kurilsk in Kamchatka, shows water flooding buildings on the port. In North America, tsunami advisories are also in place along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Waves measuring between 3 and 10 feet (1 to 3 m) are also possible along the coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Japan, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kiribati, Midway Island, Palmyra Island, Peru, Samoa and the Solomon Islands, according to the PTWC. The epicenter of the earthquake was recorded roughly 74 miles (119 kilometers) southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, according to the USGS. As of midnight EST, 24 powerful aftershocks reaching magnitudes of over 5.0 were reported in Russia, with two hitting magnitudes of 6.9 and 6.3, respectively. The Kamchatka earthquake is considered a megaquake as its magnitude is above 8. The Kamchatka Peninsula is a sparsely populated region located within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes known for their explosive volcanic eruptions and intense earthquakes. The ring runs from southern Chile, up the west coast of the Americas, through the islands off Alaska and far eastern Russia and down through Japan and the Philippines. RELATED STORIES —First video of an earthquake fault cracking has revealed another surprise —Almost half of California's faults — including San Andreas — are overdue for earthquakes —'This is a very big earthquake': The science behind Myanmar's magnitude 7.7 earthquake The volcanoes here arise due to tectonic plates involved in a process called subduction. This movement lowers the melting point of rocks in Earth's mantle, creating pockets of magma that rise to the surface. "What's special about the Ring of Fire is that multiple oceanic plates in the Pacific have subduction boundaries there," Loÿc Vanderkluysen, a volcanologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia, previously told Live Science. Indeed, it's estimated that 90% of the 34,000 miles (55,000 km) of subduction plate boundaries on Earth are found in the Pacific. Tectonic movements also trigger earthquakes as the plates squeeze past each other. "There's lots of kicking and screaming as the plates grind against one another," Jeffrey Karson, a professor emeritus of tectonics at Syracuse University in New York, previously told Live Science. "And so that's where the biggest earthquakes on our planet take place." Due to all this activity, the Ring of Fire is home to about 75% of Earth's active volcanoes and reports 90% of all measured earthquakes. Indeed, the five largest earthquakes ever recorded have all taken place within this region: 1. Valdivia Earthquake, Chile: magnitude 9.5, 1960 2. Great Alaska Earthquake, U.S.: magnitude 9.2, 1964 3. Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake: magnitude 9.1, 2004 4. Tohoku Earthquake, Japan: magnitude 9.1, 2011 5. Kamchatka Earthquake, Russia: magnitude 9.0, 1952 This latest earthquake comes in joint-sixth place with Chile's Maule Earthquake in 2010 and the Ecuador-Colombia Earthquake in 1906, all with a magnitude 8.8.
Daily Mail
31-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Russia megaquake triggers tsunami warnings around Pacific
The megaquake off Russia 's coast may have done more than shake the region, it could trigger volcanic eruptions across the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire.' The Ring of Fire is a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes and earthquake zones that stretches around the Pacific Ocean, home to about 75 percent of the world's active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. The megaquake off Russia 's coast may have done more than shake the region, it could trigger volcanic eruptions across the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire.' The Ring of Fire is a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes and earthquake zones that stretches around the Pacific Ocean, home to about 75 percent of the world's active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Experts warned the 8.8-magnitude quake released enough energy to disturb underground pressure systems far from the epicenter, potentially destabilizing magma chambers beneath active volcanoes along the arc. Michael Manga, a geoscientist at the University of California , Berkeley, told the Daily Mail: 'The volcanoes in volcanic arcs, including Chile, the US Cascades, Japan , Indonesia and Kamchatka, are prone to erupt after earthquakes.' He noted not all volcanoes will be affected, but those in the westernmost part of the arc are more likely to respond. That puts more than 100 volcanoes across Russia, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia at increased risk. 'The volcanoes in Kamchatka are the most likely to possibly respond. Klyuchevskoy erupted just after the earthquake ,' Manga said. Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) showed the earthquake struck about 84 miles east-southeast of Kamchatska, Russia at around 7:24pm EST, marking the sixth strongest earthquake ever. It was also believed to be the strongest to strike on the entire planet in 14 years, when a 9.1 megaquake hit northeast Japan and left 19,747 people either dead or missing. Residents in Hawaii were forced to evacuate from coastal areas as the entire island chain braced for the impact to strike. Water was seen receding at around 1.40am ET. The first tsunami waves hit Hawaii at 2.20am ET. Water levels were above four feet in Haleiwa on Oahu's north shore, reaching five feet just minutes later and causing floods. While millions remain under tsunami advisories, experts are also monitoring volcanoes outside of the epicenter. While the overall threat is low, Manga said the quake raised eruption chances by five to 12 percent, meaning a volcano with a one percent yearly risk now faces about 1.1 percent. The elevated threat is predicted to last from two months to two years because the earthquake's impact on underground pressure and magma movement can take time to trigger an eruption. Large earthquakes like the one off Russia's coast can affect volcanoes in several ways, even at great distances. When tectonic plates suddenly shift, they release massive energy that travels through the Earth's crust as seismic waves. These waves can increase stress or pressure within magma chambers or along existing fractures in the crust. In some cases, this added stress can weaken the rock surrounding a magma reservoir or open new pathways for magma to rise. Additionally, the shaking can disrupt gas bubbles inside magma, making it more buoyant and unstable, conditions that favor eruption. Volcanoes that are already active or 'primed,' with magma close to the surface, are the most vulnerable to this kind of triggering. That is what Manga suggested led to the eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka. 'It may have been active already as temperature anomalies were recorded by satellites in late May, so it could be it that it just became more active,' he said. Located approximately 280 miles north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskaya Sopka is one of the tallest volcanoes in the world, rising 15,584 feet in Russia's Kamchatka region. On Wednesday, observers reported explosive activity and streams of lava descending the volcano's western slopes. Scientists had been expecting the eruption, as the volcano's crater had been filling with lava for several weeks, accompanied by intermittent ash plumes. Often referred to as the 'Land of Fire and Ice,' Kamchatka is one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth, home to roughly 300 volcanoes, 29 of which remain active, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Geographically, the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire stretches from Russia and Japan in the west to the western coast of the US, and down to Antarctica, where it includes Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth. The region also features deep ocean trenches formed by tectonic subduction zones. Because of this vast, interconnected system, a major eruption or earthquake in one part of the Ring of Fire can trigger alerts and concerns around the world. Manga said that US volcanoes along the arc will not respond to the major earthquake. However, there are several that have shown increased activity this year, including the Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska, which is currently under 'Watch.' The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) shared an update on Tuesday, saying: 'Lava continues to erupt in the summit crater of Great Sitkin Volcano. 'Low-level seismicity continues with occasional small earthquakes and rockfall signals.' Hawaii's Kilauea is also under a 'Watch' due to its latest eruption ending just 10 days ago. 'Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions, along with windblown volcanic glass (Pele's hair) and tephra deposited during earlier eruptive episodes,' the USGS shared in a statement.
Daily Mail
30-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning to brace for 'Ring of Fire' apocalypse as megaquake sets off devastating chain reaction that has MILLIONS in its path
The megaquake off Russia 's coast may have done more than shake the region, it could trigger volcanic eruptions across the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire.' The Ring of Fire is a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes and earthquake zones that stretches around the Pacific Ocean, home to about 75 percent of the world's active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
Malay Mail
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Russian TV shows buildings swept away as tsunami hits coast
MOSCOW, July 30 — Russian state television today aired footage of a tsunami wave sweeping through a coastal town in the far east of the country, carrying buildings and debris into the sea. An 8.8 magnitude megaquake struck off the coast of Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula earlier, prompting evacuations and tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific coast. In Severo-Kurilsk, a Russian town of about 2,000 people some 350 kilometres (217 miles) southwest of the earthquake's epicentre, tsunami waves crashed through the port area and submerged the local fishing plant, according to authorities. The town lies on the northern Kuril island of Paramushir, just south of the Kamchatka peninsula. The waves, which were up to four metres high in some areas, reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 metres from the shoreline, according to Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. Most of the town lies on higher ground safe from flooding, he added. 'Everyone was evacuated. There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone,' he said at a crisis meeting with officials earlier. 'Everyone acted quickly' The Kremlin said 'all warning systems' had worked properly. 'Thank God, there were no casualties,' spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP. An expedition group from the Russian Geographical Society was on the neighbouring island of Shumshu when the tsunami swept away their tent camp. 'When the wave hit, all we could do was run to higher ground. It's very difficult to do that in boots on slippery grass and in fog,' group member Vera Kostamo told Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. 'All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave, and our belongings were scattered across the beach for hundreds of metres,' she added. 'We have no casualties, everyone acted quickly, but we lost all our belongings.' Authorities in the Sakhalin region, which includes the northern Kuril Islands, declared a state of emergency. The regional seismic monitoring service said the earthquake was the region's strongest since 1952. 'Strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected,' it added. — AFP
Bloomberg
16-07-2025
- Bloomberg
Japan Tourism Growth Slowed As Quake Rumor Deterred Hong Kongers
Growth in tourism to Japan slowed in June as Hong Kong visitors stayed away after unfounded predictions that a megaquake was about to hit the country. The number of visitors from Hong Kong slumped by a third from a year earlier to 166,800, data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization showed on Wednesday. Overall arrivals grew by 7.6%, the slowest rate this year.
