• Source:JND
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Russia Earthquake: Three strong earthquakes hit the Russian Far East on Sunday, issuing a tsunami warning for the Kamchatka Peninsula's coastal area, reported the US Geological Survey (USGS). The seismic sequence started with a 6.7-magnitude earthquake, followed by another 7.0 magnitude. But the enormity of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake at 08:49 GMT was what urged the USGS to issue a tsunami warning, stating that "hazardous tsunami waves are possible" up to 300 kilometres from the epicentre in the Pacific Ocean.

The most powerful earthquake hit approximately 144 kilometres east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Kamchatka capital with a population of nearly 180,000. The earthquake hit at a depth of 20 kilometres, which raised the possibility of tsunami waves in adjacent coastal regions. No casualties or significant damage have been immediately reported. Nonetheless, the area remains vigilant because a number of aftershocks, including a quake measuring 6.7, have been felt.

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Seismic Hotspot On The Pacific Ring of Fire

The Kamchatka Peninsula, where the Pacific and North American tectonic plates collide, is one of the world's most seismically active places. The historical record indicates that since 1900, the peninsula has seen at least seven earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 8.3. One of the strongest quakes on record in the area struck on November 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that created 30-foot (9.1-metre) tsunami waves in Hawaii, which produced serious coastal destruction but miraculously no fatalities. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed that the bigger 7.4-magnitude earthquake has the ability to create threatening waves along sections of Kamchatka's coast. But no American land, including neighboring Alaska, is currently seen as being in danger.

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Experts and geology agencies cited by AP, such as Germany's Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), are still observing. GFZ recorded twin earthquakes measuring 6.6 and 6.7 in a shallow depth of 10 kilometres off the Kamchatka coast on Sunday. Citizens have been advised to remain vigilant and obey safety guidelines provided by nearby emergency services.