Tsunami warnings for Alaskan islands after 8.8-earthquake

After the strongest earthquake recorded this year near the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula, tsunami warnings were issued from Alaska all the way through the Pacific to New Zealand and even East Antarctica.

The Russian peninsula of Kamchatka was rocked by a massive earthquake last night. The NOAA authorities reported that the quake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale. The quake was registered off the coast of the peninsula at a depth of 74 kilometers. This makes it the strongest earthquake of the year so far and one of the 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded. No damage has been reported in the sparsely populated region.

At the same time as the earthquake was reported, authorities in the US, Russia, and Japan also issued tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific region. The warnings mainly affect the Alaskan island chains near the epicenter, the Commander Islands, and Japan. According to the authorities, the waves caused by the earthquake could reach heights of up to three meters.

The warnings do not only affect the islands and coastal areas in the northern hemisphere. Authorities in New Zealand also warned of unusually strong currents and waves on the country’s north coast. The NOAA even issued a warning for East Antarctica, where waves of 0.3 to 1 meter are expected.

At the time of publication, no damage or effects from waves had been reported.