Major earthquakes strike the Pacific Ring of Fire

February 28, 2013 – KAMCHATKA – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, at a depth of around 52 km (33 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported on Thursday. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami, based on historical earthquake and tsunami data. Britain’s BBC quoted Russia’s Emergencies Ministry as saying there were no reports of casualties or damage, and that no tsunami warning had been issued. The arc formed by the peninsula and the Kurile Islands stretching from Russia to Japan is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. USGS’s first report had put the quake at magnitude 7.0, at a depth of 18 miles. Today’s earthquake is the 24^th major earthquake to strike the planet in the month of February. –Reuters, TEP

Vanuatu: A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the South Pacific island of Vanuatu Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but it was not thought to have caused any damage or sparked a tsunami warning. Godwin Ligo, a reporter at the Trading Post newspaper, said he felt his office building in the capital Port Vila shake and sway. He said he wasn’t aware of any major problems caused by the quake. The shallow ocean quake struck at a depth of 15 kilometers (nine miles), 104 kilometers west of the capital Port Vila at 2.09 pm local time (0309 GMT). Geoscience Australia put its magnitude at 5.9 and said it was unlikely to have caused any damage. Vanuatu lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates. It has been rocked by several large quakes in recent years, averaging about three magnitude 7.0 or above incidents annually, none of which have caused any major damage. –Geo

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