Strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake reported in Russia

A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The quake was felt at 3:35 pm local time on Friday (October 16). However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami threat following the earthquake.

According to a report by Watchers News, the quake originated deep below the surface. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said its depth was about 135 kilometres. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre also put the magnitude at 6.9, though by its calculation the focus was 130 kilometres deep.

According to the USGS, the epicentre lay at varying distances from several towns in the Kamchatka region. It was 76 kilometres north-east of Ozernovskiy, 130 kilometres south-west of Vilyuchinsk and 151 kilometres south-west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The epicentre was also 153 kilometres south-south-west of Elizovo and 535 kilometres south-south-west of Klyuchi. In its preliminary assessment, the USGS said about 14,000 people felt moderate shaking, while roughly 214,000 more felt light shaking.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which operates under the US National Weather Service, analysed the earthquake data and said there is no tsunami threat from the event. It issued this information at 3:43 am Coordinated Universal Time on Friday.

Assessing the potential damage and risk to life, the USGS issued a green alert. Its preliminary analysis said the likelihood of casualties and economic losses is low.

The USGS assessment said most people in the region live in buildings that can withstand earthquake shaking. However, some structures made of adobe blocks and ordinary brick may be at comparatively higher risk. Although there is a possibility of soil liquefaction, much of the potentially affected area is sparsely populated. The agency also said the risk of landslides is limited.