AP’s HONOLULU Off the coast of Russia, one of the strongest earthquakes of the century caused tsunami warnings and advisories over a large area of the Pacific, encompassing Alaska, Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast, and as far south as New Zealand. Although cautions are still in effect since more aftershocks could occur, warnings are being dropped in the majority of areas. Chile’s tsunami warning was raised to the highest level for the majority of its Pacific coastline, which is 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles).
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8 and was centered off the shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East. Early Wednesday local time, which was still Tuesday in the United States, was when it happened.
Here’s what you should know:The definition of a tsunami
Earthquakes, underwater volcanic eruptions, and undersea landslides can all produce tsunamis. Water rises and falls as a result of the seafloor rising and falling following an undersea earthquake. Waves receive the energy from this.
A lot of people consider tsunamis to be a single wave. However, they usually consist of several waves that crash upon the shore like a rapidly rising tide.
According to Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, tsunamis travel hundreds of miles per hour over the ocean, which is as fast as a jet plane in deep water. However, they slow down and begin to pile up as they approach the coast.
Waves near a strong earthquake site may take minutes to reach shore. Tsunamis can travel across the Pacific Ocean in hours. The depth of the ocean affects tsunami wave speed as well. They move more slowly in shallow water and more quickly across deep water.
In locations as far away as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Solomon Islands, people were advised to avoid coastlines until any wave surges passed.
Certain tsunamis are little and inflict no harm. Others are capable of wreaking havoc. Across Southeast and South Asia, rural communities, ports, and tourist resorts along the Indian Ocean were flattened by waves from a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off Indonesia in 2004. Approximately 230,000 people perished. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated areas of the northeastern coast of Japan, causing a nuclear meltdown and killing over 20,000 people.
The magnitude of this earthquake
According to the USGS, the 8.8-magnitude earthquake was one of the four strongest this century.
According to Simon Boxall, a principal teaching fellow at the Physical Oceanography Research Center at the University of Southampton, it was also the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded.
Scientists anticipate aftershocks with magnitudes as high as 7.5, according to the regional office of Russia’s Emergency Ministry on Kamchatka.
More than 80% of the greatest earthquakes in the world happen along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a ring of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean. There, a number of tectonic plates converge. The surrounding volcanoes give the ring its name.
Although not all earthquakes cause tsunamis, this one caused a number of them to propagate outward from the epicenter off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.
According to Boxall, it’s similar to tossing a huge rock into the ocean and then seeing the waves go away from it, making a splash. That’s what has transpired in this instance. And for that reason, this one in particular has caused a tsunami. It’s not very big. It won’t result in widespread destruction. However, if people don’t evacuate to higher land, it will result in destruction, coastal flooding, and perhaps death.
The immediate consequences of this earthquake
Authorities reported that although tsunami waves ranging from 2 to 5 feet high made their way to San Francisco early on Wednesday, a tsunami height of 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka. Waves have been smaller elsewhere.
According to preliminary data, nuclear power reactors along Japan’s Pacific coast have not had any safety issues, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Russian regions closest to the epicenter of the earthquake reported damage and evacuations, and authorities proclaimed a state of emergency in a number of those places. No significant damage has been recorded, and a number of people were hurt, although none seriously.
The entire Pacific Rim is under tsunami watch due to the possibility of more aftershocks. Parts of the northern California coast were still under a tsunami warning.
A tsunami warning was in effect for a large portion of the North American Pacific coast, from British Columbia in Canada to the U.S. West Coast and into Mexico.
How tsunami alerts are sent
Emergency officials in Hawaii sound a network of sirens and blast notifications on people’s cellphones, TVs, and radios. Certain villages in Alaska have sirens, and public radio broadcasts or weather radios provide information.
The National Weather Service in the United States issues alerts at several levels:
A warning indicates that a tsunami that could result in extensive flooding is either imminent or already happening. It is advised that people evacuate and go inland or to higher ground.
An advice indicates that a tsunami is likely to occur and that people should avoid the water, beaches, and rivers due to the possibility of strong currents or deadly waves.
A watch alerts people to the possibility of a tsunami and advises them to be ready.
