31/07/2025 News
31/07/2025 News
Hello everyone. This blog is about news that I find out that happen today, that I find myself pretty interesting, and I will report every so often on the blogs I create. I get news off Google and Bing news when I through my usual daily news check. Keep in mind that most information I may gather may not be true and that I'm just summarizing what I find online off Google and Bing.
Earthquake off Russia's Far East one of the strongest ever - what are the others?:
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded has shaken the far east of Russia, causing a tsunami and triggering warnings in other regions. How does it compare with some of history's highest magnitude quakes?
An enormous 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit off the far east of Russia, - potentially the sixth largest on record. The quake has triggered waves up to 4 metres ( 13 feet ) in the Kamchatka Peninsula where the buildings were severely damaged and several people were injured - officials said.
It has also led to many fearing that there may be tsunamis across the Pacific region, with warnings and alerts in the places across Japan, parts of US, including Hawaii, California, and Alaska, and the Philippines.
The US Geological Survey ( USGS ) said that the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km ( 12 miles ), and was centered about 125 km ( 80 miles ) east, southeast of Petropavlosk - Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 along the coast of Avacha Bay.
Some comparison on how powerful this earthquake was, can be compared - recorded by the USGS - to; Biobio, Chile ( 1960 ). A 9.5 Magnitude earthquake, - known as the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake - struck in a central region of Chile in 1960. It is currently the largest ever recorded earthquake, and resulted in more than 1,600 deaths in the country and beyond, most of which were caused by the result of a large tsunami, with thousands of others injured.
In Alaska, on 1964, A 9.2 magnitude earthquake had hit Alaska's Prince William Sound, lasting for almost five minutes and becoming the largest recorded earthquake in the US. There were huge landslides and towering waves which caused severe flooding, and the whole event was followed by thousands of aftershocks for weeks. More than 130 people were killed.
In Sumatra, Indonesia, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated Southeast Asia and South Asia, and East Africa in 2004. It was the most disastrous earthquake in terms of fatalities, killing a whopping 230,000 people, including 167,000 in Indonesia, where entire communities were unfortunately wiped out.
In Tohoku, Japan, another 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan in 2011, triggering a towering tsunami that smashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant. This led to power and cooling systems being knocked out, triggering meltdowns in three reactors, resulting to devastating consequences. More than 18,000 people were killed in the quake and tsunami. Some bodies have never been recovered.
In the same region where this 8.8 magnitude earthquake happened yesterday, in 1952, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake resulted in a tsunami with 9.1 metres ( 30 ft ) waves hitting Hawaii, causing significant damage but no fatalities.
Biobio, Chile, ( 2010 ), Chile just can't have enough, or have a single break. Central Chile was hit by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake in 2010, lasting for 90 seconds and setting off a tsunami. More than 500 people were killed in the disaster.
Esmeraldas, Ecuador, a 8.8 magnitude earthquake resulted in a tsunami that killed about 1,500 people in Ecuador in 1906. Its effects were felt for miles along the Central American coast and as far as San Francisco and Japan.
Alaska also just can't have enough, as in 1965, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck Alaska's Rat Islands, causing a 11 metres ( 35 ft ) high tsunami. It only resulted in relatively minor damages, including cracks in buildings and an asphalt runway.
In Tibet, in 1950, at least 780 people were killed when a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck, destroying dozens of villages, including at least one that slid into a river. Major landslides jammed the Subansiri River in India, and a deadly 7 metres ( 23 ft ) wave was created when the water eventually broke through.
Sumatra, Indonesia also seems very unfortunate as in 2012, a 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia in 2012. The earthquake caused little damage, but it did increase pressure on a fault that had been the source of the devastating 2004 tsunami.
Earthquake off Russia's Far East one of the strongest ever - what are the others?:
No widespread damage so far where strong ocean waves have already washed ashore.
One of the strongest earthquakes every recorded struck off Russia's sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves towards Japan, Hawaii, and the U.S. West Coast. So far, several people were reported injured, but no casualties, and no major damages has been reported so far as well.
Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and potentially millions of people are in the path of the waves, were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground away from the shore.
The worse appeared to have passed with warnings lifted or downgraded for many areas, including the U.S., Japan and Russia. But along the South America's Pacific Coast, new warnings were forcing evacuations in Chile and Colombia.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as the ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave the buildings. People flocked to evacuation centres in the affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and the tsunami that caused the unfortunate reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. So far, no abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported since Wednesday.
Russian authorities said that several people have been injured so far, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details on the reports. In Japan, at least one person was injured.
A tsunami height of three to four metres was recorded in Kamchatka, 60 centimetres on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, while tsunami waves about 60 to 152 centimetres high reached San Francisco early Wednesday, officials said. Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory.
Hawaii downgrades to tsunami advisory. Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but the evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated islands, had been lifted. An advisory means that there is a potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbours.
"As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water," said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska.
"A tsunami is not just one wave," he said. "It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there."
Cars jammed the streets and highways in Honolulu as the tsunami alerts coincided with the Tuesday afternoon rush hour. Warning sirens were blared as people moved to the high ground. Hawaii schools were cancelled after school and evening activities, and tourists in the evacuation zones were asked to contact their hotel if they can't get to an airport.
The Hawaii Government, Josh Green, earlier said that Black Hawk helicopters were activated and high water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities needed to rescue people.
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that the small tsunami waves were expected along the coast. It urged people to stay away from the beaches, harbours, and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast, until the advisory is lifted.
" This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water, " the department said.
As small tsunamis hit overnight, waves under 30 centimetres above the tide levels were observed in the Alaskan communities of Amchitka and Adak, said Alaska's National Tsunami Warning Centre coordinator, Dave Snider. The Tsunami waves washed up to the shorelines on Japan's Hokkaido in the north and Ibaraki and Chiba, just east of Tokyo, in footage aired on Japan's NHK public television. A tsunami of 50 centimetres was also detected at the Ishinomaki port in northern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency ( JMA ).
This was the highest measurement so far among several locations around northern Japan. But higher waves were still ariving on Wednesday, said JMA earthquake and tsunami response official Shiji Kiyomoto.
The Russian areas nearest to the earthquakes epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula, reported damages from the earthquake and evacuations from the tsunami, but no serious injuries.
The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to it's local governor, Valery Limarenko. He said that the residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated that its tsunami bulletin to include regional observations, and for B.C., that included and " observed maximum tsunami height " of 27 centimetres at Winter Harbour, and 21 centimetres at Tofino.
The earthquake at 8:25 am, Japan time on Wednesday had preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its measurement to 8.8 magnitude and the USGS said that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 20.7 kilometres deep.
The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has said that the threat of a major tsunami hitting the United States " has passed completely. "
Although the U.S. may have gotten lucky, Russia hasn't. The earthquake was only about 119 kilometres away from the Russian city of Petropavlosk, located in Kamchatsky on the Kamchatka Peninsula, which has a total population of 180,000 people. Russian Tass news agency said that the people in the Petropavlovsk Kamchatky ran out into the street without shoes or outerwear. Cabinets toppled inside homes, mirrors were broken, cars were swayed in the street and balconies on buildings shook noticeably.
Tass also reported power outages and mobile phones service failures, and quoted a local Russian official saying that the residents on Sakhalin Island were being evacuated and emergency services were working at full capacity.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit this area in the Kamchatka Peninsula since the 1952, according to the local branch of Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They said that while the situation " was under control " there are risks of aftershocks, which could last up to a whole month and warned against visiting certain coastal areas.
Here is a graph of Russian earthquakes since the start of the 1900's:
Earlier in July, five powerful earthquakes - the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 - struck near the sea of Kamchatka. There was also a 7.3 magnitude earthquake earlier this month on Alaska's southern coast. With the most recent earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the March 2011 earthquake off northeast Japan, that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.
Those are some news that I found interesting today throughout Bing and Google. These news mainly prioritized the earthquakes that happened really close to far east Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula. I hope over time I should be able to adapt and learn to make these more shorter, summarized and hopefully, more informative. Thank you for reading.
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