Oregon coast under tsunami watch after powerful Russia earthquake

A strong 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck close to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, according to Japan’s meteorological office, which also issued a tsunami warning for the country’s Pacific coast.

According to the government, the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 and happened at 8:25 a.m. It warned of a tsunami up to three yards across Japan’s Pacific coast, which could begin to reach the northern Japanese beaches within 30 minutes of the advisory being elevated to alert status on Wednesday.

No damage has been recorded as of yet.

The Alaska-based National Tsunami Warning Center issued a watch for areas of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, as well as a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands.

A large portion of Alaska’s coast, including the panhandle, is also under the advisory.

The first tsunami waves would arrive in Oregon at approximately 11:40 p.m. The first tsunami wave or surge may not be the largest, and waves might be severe for several hours, the National Weather Service warned.

Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four large islands, was around 160 miles away from the earthquake, which was only marginally felt, according to Japan’s NHK television.

It struck 12 miles below the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Shortly after the first reports, the USGC stated that the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.7.

From Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the largest adjacent city, Russia’s Tass news agency claimed that numerous individuals fled into the street without shoes or other protective clothing. Mirrors were smashed, cars trembled on the street, cabinets fell out of houses, and building balconies rocked visibly.

In the Kamchatka region’s capital, Tass also reported mobile phone service issues and power outages.

An hour and a half after the earthquake, a first wave of tsunamis was predicted to hit eastern Hokkaido, according to Japan’s tsunami advisory, a lower-level warning than a tsunami alert. According to the administration, a taskforce was established to collect information and respond to any emergencies.

Shinichi Sakai, a seismologist from the University of Tokyo, told NHK that if an earthquake’s epicenter is shallow, it could trigger a wave that strikes Japan.

One of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world is Japan, which is located in the region known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Five strong earthquakes, the greatest of which had a magnitude of 7.4, occurred in the sea close to Kamchatka earlier in July. The greatest earthquake, which was located 89 miles east of the 180,000-person city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was 20 kilometers deep.

On November 4, 1952, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka triggered 30-foot waves on Hawaii, causing damage but no fatalities.