A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka region triggered at least two tsunamis on Wednesday: one off Russia's east coast and another off Japan's north coast. Warnings have also been issued for Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, and the US West Coast. The epicenter of the quake was recorded offshore, about 130 kilometers offshore, at a depth of 18.2 kilometers.
Largest earthquake in Russia's Kamchatka region in 73 years
The earthquake that struck the eastern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia was the largest to hit the region since 1952, according to the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Russian city of Severo-Kurilsk flooded and state of emergency declared
According to the Russian news agency RIA, the city of Severo-Kurilsk was flooded and a state of emergency was declared in the area. The entire Severo-Kurilsk district was evacuated after the earthquake, and no medical assistance was required.
Update:
Today, hours after the earthquake, also in Kamchatka, the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted.
Are the events related?
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake possibly "activated" to volcanoe.
Reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
However, they also point to solar storms as a likely influence:
According to Yelena Kobeleva, director of the Baikal branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also quoted by TASS, the Kamchatka earthquake may have been influenced by intense solar activity.
"Recently, a magnitude 5 earthquake occurred in Kazakhstan, although earthquakes of this type are rare in this country. I agree with many of my colleagues who attribute this to increased solar activity; geomagnetic storm announcements and reports of solar flares are frequent," said Kobeleva.
The expert noted that tectonic processes are influenced by solar activity and specified that Kamchatka can simultaneously experience tectonic, submarine and volcanic earthquakes, due to its location and characteristics. Live Science
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