Several countries have been put on high alert after a huge earthquake struck in a coastal region of Russia – with tsunami warnings sent to parts of the US and experts watching closely
Parts of the US have been warned to prepare for a natural disaster after a huge earthquake has struck a costal location in Russia. In responde, tsunami advisory warnings have been released for Alaska.
Experts are currently assessing the situation to see whether Hawaii will be affected by the incident. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami threat warnings are in place for parts of the Pacific closer to the earthquake, such as Japan, but it is too early to determine whether Hawaii is at risk. If a threat to Hawaii does develop, the earliest the hazard could begin is 2.55 pm local time today (September 18).
Adding to this, the costal location where the earthquake struck is a key location for Russia’s military, with a huge part of the country’s submarine fleet held there. Several airbases are also in the vicinity.
The quake has measured in at a whopping 7.8 on the Richter Scale, providing significant force and struck Russia’s city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, near the Kamchatka peninsula. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), the US Geological Survey said.
The coastal area plays a huge role in Russia’s military standing, with the area including the Yelizovo Air Base, which is located in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky itself.
Adding to this, Vilyuchinsk Submarine Base, a significant Pacific Fleet base is about 20-30 km away in Vilyuchinsk, and the Sharomy Air Base, a naval air base situated about 143 km north of the city.
It is not known if the submarines or airplanes were evacuated in time. Russia’s military submarine fleet includes modern Borei-class and Yassen-class nuclear-powered submarines, which are a significant part of their naval power.
Older Delta-IV class ballistic missile submarines are being replaced by the Borei class, while the Delta-IV class will be decommissioned. Other submarines include the diesel-electric Kilo-class and the Akula-class.
As the world’s largest operational submarine class, the massive Borei-class vessels weight in at 24,000 tonnes and each carry 16 RSM-56 intercontinental range ballistic missiles (ICBM), each of which can delivery up to ten nuclear warheads against separate targets using multiple independent vehicles.
The Borei submarines are approximately 170 metres long and 13meters in diameter.
Kamchatsky has a population of 181k people and sits on the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc, which extends 2,100 km from Hokkaido, Japan along the Kuril Islands and the Pacific coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Kuril-Kamchatka Arc is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. The largest megathrust earthquake to occur along the arc in the 20th century was the November 4, 1952 measuring 9.0 magnitude.
On Sunday (September 14), another earthquake engulfed the area.
According to the US Geological Survey the quake struck Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula in the early hours of Saturday, September 13. The quake came weeks after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake, the sixth strongest ever recorded, hit the region.
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