One of the strongest earthquakes 8.8 Richter ever recorded in east Russia without causing the devastating tsunami that many were afraid of. However, scientists point out that, despite relative calm, the risk has not passed.
At 11:25 Local Time on Wednesday (310.07.2025), Eastern Russia was shocked by an earthquake of 8.8 Richter. The focus was detected in off the peninsula Kamchatkain one of the most earthquake -prone areas of the planet. The earthquake caused immediate warnings for tsunami Throughout the Pacific, and quickly awakened memories of the 2004 tragedies in the Indian Ocean and 2011 in Japan.
However, despite 8.8 Richter and mass alarms in the Pacific and increased alert, The tsunami was less devastating than the experts were afraid. This seems to be due to a number of geomorphological factors.
The geological explanation behind the earthquake
OR Kamchatka It is located on the so -called “Ring of Fire”, an arc of active tectonic plates, extending around the Pacific Ocean and is responsible for 80% of earthquakes worldwide, according to the British Geological Survey.
There, the peaceful tectonic plate moves northwest at a rate of about 8 cm a year, colliding with the small Ohotsk.
As explains the BBCthe peaceful plate, consisting of dense ocean rocks, attempts to sink beneath the lighter microplace. As it sinks, heats and melts, but this process is not smooth. The two plates are often blocked, with one to “drag” the other down, accumulating huge energy for hundreds or even thousands of years.
When this action is released abruptly, it is caused by a mescraphic earthquake, internationally known as «megathrust earthquake».
“In such great earthquakes, the rift is not limited to one point, but extends to hundreds of kilometers,” explains Dr. Steven Hicks, a seismology lecturer at University College, London. “This huge shift explains the high size.”
Corresponding megasses had been noted in Chile (1960, 9.5 Richter), the Alaska (1964, 9.2), the Sumatra (2004, 9.1) and the Japan (2011, 9,1).
Kamchatka has a long history of strong earthquakes: In 1952, 9 Richter earthquake had hit just 30 kilometers from today’s focus, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Why wasn’t a devastating tsunami caused
Great shift of the seabed during a megasy can displace huge volumes of water, causing a tsunami traveling at speeds of up to 800 km/h in the open ocean. There, the waves are sparse and low -usually below one meter.
However, as they approach the land, they slow down and their height increases, thus hitting the coastal areas as a “water wall”.
This, however, did not happen in this case. According to the Russian authorities, waves in some areas of eastern Russia reached 4 meters – In any case, Much below 20 or 30 meters of the devastating tsunami of 2004 and 2011.
The explanation, according to experts, is in a series of geomorphological agents: The shape of the bottom near the shore, the geometry of the land and whether the area is inhabited or not, have a decisive affecting the strength of the wave.
“The height of the wave depends on the topography of the seabed and the coast -not only on the power of the earthquake,” notes Professor of Tectonics at the University of Southampton, Lisa McNill.
In addition, the focal depth of the earthquake might have been larger than it was originally mentioned.
In addition, the timely reaction played a decisive role in limiting the impact. In Japan, more than 1.9 million inhabitants were ordered to abandon coastal areas and move to higher points.
The image of tourists forming queues in Tokyo parking lots to leave the resorts made the world round. This time, Early warning systems worked as planned.
The comparison with 2004 is inevitable, since then there was no organized early notification system in most Indian countries. The result was 230,000 victims in 14 countries.
Today, most Pacific states have created specialized warning centers, which automatically transmit evacuation signals in the event of an imminent danger.