Magnitude 5.6 earthquake felt in Kamchatka; no tsunami threat declared
In short
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck in Avacha Bay off the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as reported by Interfax. The quake occurred at 12:30 local time (03:30 Moscow time), 76 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and was felt in the city at up to five points. No tsunami threat was declared.
Why it matters
The quake was strong enough to be felt in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the region's main city, at up to five points on the instrument scale, but the reports describe no tsunami threat. Kamchatka lies in a seismically active zone, and official and business outlets treated the event as a routine seismic report rather than an emergency.
Key facts
- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake was recorded in Avacha Bay off the southeastern coast of Kamchatka. [ 1 ]
- The epicentre was 76 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the focus lay 45 km below the sea floor. [ 1 ]
- The earthquake occurred at 12:30 local time, 03:30 Moscow time, on Wednesday. [ 1 ]
- In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky the quake was felt at intensity up to five points, according to instrument data. [ 1 , 3 ]
- No tsunami threat was declared. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the earthquake caused damage or injuries. None of the documents mentions damage or casualties; they also do not state that there were none.
- The exact magnitude and depth of the earthquake. These figures appear only in the Interfax report citing the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service; the other two outlets give no measurements.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs in Avacha Bay, 76 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 45 km (12:30 local Kamchatka time, 03:30 Moscow time). [ 1 ]
- Interfax publishes its report on the earthquake, citing the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti and TASS publish brief reports of a felt earthquake in Kamchatka. [ 2 , 3 ]