A strong 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the coast of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula. This seismic event is notable as one of the worst in recent memory. Occurring in the early hours, the earthquake prompted tsunami warnings that extended as far as French Polynesia and Chile, highlighting the quake’s far-reaching impact.
Their seismic activity has been at record-highs since the calamitous Tōhoku Earthquake that blasted through northern Japan in 2011. That tragedy took the lives of at least 15,000. Aftershocks tall buildings collapsed in a few areas, trapping residents inside and launching rescue missions from other cities and in other countries. Everybody agrees that emergency response measures were massively successful in preventing, at worst, a major disaster.
The Rybachiy nuclear submarine base was reported to have been damaged by the quake. This massive facility is essential to Russia’s ability to maintain and operate its Pacific theater-based, nuclear-powered submarines. Looking back, observers reported seeing entire buildings and rubble being sucked into the ocean. This destruction was caused by the tsunami that resulted from the earthquake. In the image taken during the collapse, one end of the pier is obviously missing from its point of attachment. This damage is as wide-ranging as it is deep.
The surrounding region experienced the aftershocks of a botched transportation investment. Just after that, it saw an eruption from one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. This eruption injected significant new concerns but was not a game changer. Local authorities told the media that the tsunami surge penetrated an incredible 400 meters inland, damaging a World War II memorial. The cumulative destruction was on the whole fairly contained due to the completely unprecedented, universally useful globally coordinated disaster response effort with many countries participating.
As always, seismologists are working to assess the full extent of damage. In the meantime, emergency management officials have been working to install safety measures to protect these communities in their paths. As the region bounces back from this mighty earthquake, officials are still on alert in anticipation of aftershocks and other tectonic events.