Scary Tsunami Waves, Volcanoes And Earthquakes... The Pacific 'Ring Of Fire' Proves Dangerous Again

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russia's far eastern region of Kamchatka Peninsula was hit by a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake early on July 30, which also triggered a monstrous tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet) in height across the Pacific Ocean.

Several people in Russia were injured and the coast recorded a 3-4 metre (10-13 feet) high tsunami wave, according to Sergei Lebedev, regional minister for emergency situations, Reuters reported.

Further, tsunami alerts have been issued by Japan for its east coast, the United States for Hawaii and the west coast, and the various Pacific Islands.

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The US Geological Survey (USGC) in its report said the earthquake occured at a shallow depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centred 119 km (74 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 1,65,000 people.

Further, the US Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of“hazardous tsunami waves” exceeding 3 metres (10 feet) in height, within the next three hours.

Some regions it gave alerts for include: the coasts of Ecaudor, Chile, Hawaii, Japan, Russia, the Solomon Islands and much of the Pacific, and the US west coast, including Alaska.

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Russia's eastern region, including the affected Kamchatka Peninsula lie in the geologically active area known as the“Pacific Ring of Fire”. The region is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

An arc of seismic faults, the“Ring of Fire” saw two large earthquakes in 2009, which triggered tsunami waves that killed at least 192 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, according to an AP report.

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In 2011, the eastern coast of Japan was evacauated following a devastating earthquake in the region that caused the Fukushima disaster.

Geographically, the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire extends from Russia and Japan in the east, to the US west coast, and volcanoes in frozen south in Antarctica , including Mount Erebus, the southernmost volcano on Earth. Ocean trenches are also part of the Ring of Fire. This is why a major eruption or earthquake in the region triggers warnings across the globe .

Ring of fire map: The area ranges the entire north coast of Antarctica, east coast of Asia and New Zealand, and west coasts of South America, North America and multitude of Pacific Islands scattered across the vast ocean, with the Bering Sea to the north. Note: Above map excludes Antarctica.

Notably, the Russian Academy of Sciences said today's quake is the strongest to hit the region since 1952.

Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Service, posted on Telegram,“Aftershocks are currently ongoing ... Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.”

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According to a National Geographic education post, the Ring of Fire is a 40,000 km horseshoe shaped region housing 452 volcanoes from the southern tip of South America, up along the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, down through Japan and into New Zealand, and further south in Antarctica .

The geographic activity is due to constantly shifting of tectonic plates either causing earthquakes or volcanic eruptions along the fault lines. Some notable volcanoes in the belt include Antarctica's Mount Erebus, Mt Fuji in Japan, and Mount St Helen's in Washington, US.

(With inputs from Reuters and AP)

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