Eight earthquakes rattle Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula in one hour

A rapid series of eight earthquakes struck off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula within just one hour on July 31, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The tremors ranged in magnitude from 4.5 to 6.7. Local reports indicated ground shaking was felt at an intensity of 2 to 3 points on the Russian seismic scale, which roughly corresponds to light to moderate shaking, Caliber.Az reports via the service. 

The spike in seismic activity comes just a day after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Kamchatka on July 30, prompting tsunami alerts in Japan, the United States, and other countries around the Pacific Rim. 

Seismologists warn that powerful aftershocks—possibly reaching magnitudes of up to 7.5—may continue for several weeks. The July 30 quake is the strongest earthquake since 1952 in Kamchatka.

By Sabina Mammadli