The Kuril Islands in Russia was rocked by an earthquake that measured 6.1 at the Richter Scale, the National Center for Seismology said. Reports said the tremor was felt at 19:33:54 IST with its depth being 10 km, while the latitude 49.94N and longitude 162.7E marked its epicenter.
A few days earlier, another earthquake of 8.8 magnitude had occurred in the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia that resulted in huge waves of tsunami alongside Japanese and Russian coastlines.
Experts say shallow earthquakes cause more damage than the deep quakes due to the reason that seismic waves travel quickly to the surface, which in turn generates robust impact and ground shakes more, resulting in higher damage and casualties.
Earlier in July, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake — tied for the sixth strongest ever recorded — struck off Russia’s coast. The Kremlin reported no casualties. In the 16 hours following the massive quake, the US Geological Survey recorded about 125 aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 or higher. Three of these measured above magnitude 6.0, with the strongest, a 6.9, occurring roughly 45 minutes after the main shock.
Strong aftershocks continue to disrupt the region. On Wednesday, a 6.4 magnitude tremor struck about 200 miles southwest of the previous day’s epicentre shortly before 11 a.m. local time. Aftershocks are usually most intense and frequent within hours or days of the main quake, and declines gradually over time.
Meanwhile, a tsunami advisory for Hawaii has been lifted after the massive earthquake off Russia’s far eastern coast triggered alerts across the Pacific.
This is a developing story.
