A magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Friday, triggering brief warning of a magnitude 9.9 earthquake in Japan, which later withdrew the warning.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially estimated the depth of the earthquake at about 140 kilometres. The epicentre was near Russia’s Far East, the US Geological Survey later reported the magnitude as 6.9.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued an emergency warning at around 12:40 p.m. local time, predicting powerful shaking throughout the northern, eastern and central parts of the country. They warned people to take caution as the alert had been sent out via mobile phone and public loudspeakers before it was cancelled some eight minutes later, according to The Japan Times.
The agency said the warning had overestimated the strength of the earthquake. Authorities in Japan reported no significant shaking due to the tremor. In addition, no tsunami warning or advisory was issued.
The US National Tsunami Warning Center also reported that there was no tsunami threat after the earthquake. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Kamchatka is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world’s most seismically active area, where the Pacific Plate collides with the Okhotsk Plate and the North American Plate, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
