What is known about Kamchatka earthquake and the subsequent Tsunami?
This is the strongest earthquake since 1952 occurred in the Kamchatka region
The strongest earthquake over the entire recorded observation period rocked the Kamchatka Region with its magnitude reaching 8.7 according to various estimates. A tsunami wave made landfall on the coast near Severo-Kurilsk, reported the government of the Sakhalin Region.
Seismologists recorded a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 about 150 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Wednesday, July 30, around noon local time (0530AM IST ).
Later, the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported that the magnitude, according to various estimates, reached 8.7. The earthquake that hit Kamchatka was felt at the force of between 7 and 8 points.
The shock epicentre was located 149 kilometres southeast of the regional capital at a depth of 17 kilometers. Seismologists recorded strong repeated earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1-5.8 to the southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, in the regional capital, tremors were felt with a force of 3 points.
A tsunami threat was declared on the coast of Avacha Bay. A tsunami with a wave height of 3-4 meters was recorded in the Yelizovsky district of Kamchatka, near the Vodopadnaya weather station. The first wave of the tsunami hit the coastal part of the city of Severo-Kurilsk on the island, residents were evacuated to the hill.
– In total, eight earthquakes with a magnitude of over 5 occurred off the coast of Kamchatka in an hour. The tremors occurred at depths of 7 to 100 kilometres. Experts predict aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 for at least a month.
– Over 50 aftershocks, with the majority of them barely noticeable, occurred in Kamchatka following the earthquake, said the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
About 2,700 people have been evacuated on the Kuril Islands to safe areas due to a tsunami threat following the earthquake. The number of perceptible tremors following the morning 8.7-magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka has reached 30.
Impact
Several people sought medical assistance. A wall collapsed in a kindergarten in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, there were no casualties. The port of Severo-Kurilsk in the Sakhalin Region and a fishing enterprise were flooded by a tsunami wave. Problems with the Internet connection were registered in Kamchatka, later all communication nodes were restored.
Local response
A regional headquarters has been set up to coordinate the actions of departments and services. A hotline has been established for residents after the earthquake in the Kuril Islands. The authorities of the Sakhalin Region are mobilizing forces and reserves to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake in Severo-Kurilsk.
The authorities promised to provide residents with temporary accommodation in safe places, if cracks dangerous to the structure of housing are found.
The general assessment of structural damage following the earthquake in the Kamchatka Region will be ready during the week, regional Governor Vladimir Solodov said on his Telegram channel.
Tourist situation
– About 7,000-8,000 tourists are currently in Kamchatka. According to preliminary information, Russian tourists have not been injured in the Kamchatka earthquake.
International effects
A tsunami wave about 30 cm high after the earthquake in Kamchatka reached the northern part of Japan. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces deployed fighter jets, patrol aircraft and helicopters to monitor the situation over the Pacific Ocean.
Specialists from the Japanese energy company Tokyo Electric Power suspended the next phase of the discharge of purified water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant.
Shinkansen bullet train service was suspended in central and northeastern Japan. No damage or casualties were reported in Japan.
Traffic is suspended on 41 railway lines and three sections of express train lines in Japan. An airport in the city of Sendai has been closed.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a tsunami warning following an earthquake in Kamchatka. The authorities of the Oahu island have called on coastal areas to evacuate immediately due to a tsunami threat following a powerful earthquake in Kamchatka.
The US Coast Guard instructed all vessels docked in Hawaii to leave ports due to a tsunami threat. The Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy issued a tsunami warning for the country’s coast.
Ecuadorian Navy Oceanographic Institute has warned about a tsunami threat on the Galapagos Islands.
Mexico declared a tsunami advisory for the west coast. According to the National Tsunami Warning Center, waves may be up to 1 meter high.
A tsunami warning remains in effect across the entire coast of Peru, the country’s Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation said.
Chinese authorities announced a tsunami threat which may affect the coast near Shanghai, the southern part of the Zhoushan municipal district in Zhejiang Province, as well as Taiwan.
