The fourth most serious earthquake ever measured, yet the damage seems limited

This article was last updated on July 30, 2025

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The fourth most serious earthquake ever measured, yet the damage seems limited

Near the Russian peninsula Kamchatka, the fourth most powerful earthquake ever was measured last night. The consequences are noticeable in many places on the coasts of the Pacific, but the damage has been limited so far. “The area where the earthquake took place is sparsely populated. That is why the damage seems to be better than expected,” says Seismologist Pauline Kruiver of the KNMI.

The state of emergency was declared on the Russian Islands Group Koeralin, in the east of the country. Tsunamigolven flooded a port city, can be seen on photos spread by the authorities.

There are more often earthquakes in the area, says Kruiver. “In 1952 there was a quake with a force of 9.0. That is because there is a plate limit there. The pacific plate dives under the plate on which Kamchatka lies and that causes a lot of friction.”

This quake was also not completely unexpected. “There have been many earthquakes in recent times, but they were less heavy. This was the main shock,” says Kruiver.

Heaviest trembling ever measured

Biobio, Chili – 1960 (9.5) Alaska, United States – 1964 (9.2) Sumatra, Indonesia – 2004 (9.1) Tohuku, Japan – 2011 (9.1) Kamchatka, Russia – 1952 (9.0) Kamtjatka, Russia – 2025) Ecuador – 1906 (8.8) Alaska, US – 1964 (8.7) Arunachal Pradesh, India – 1950 (8.6)

Source: American Seismological Institute

Despite the power of the quake, the damage is probably limited by the depth at which it took place, says Geologist Anouk Beniest of the VU University Amsterdam. The water at the place of the quake was also relatively shallow. “The shallower the water and the deeper the earthquake, the smaller the tsunami. It probably just took place too deep to cause a really large tsunami.”

The tsunam caves have now reached the east coast of Japan. The highest wave to date measured was 1.3 meters high, but the Japanese meteorological agency predicts that the waves can be up to 3 meters high.

Almost 2 million people had to evacuate and warnings apply in large parts of the country, although those have already been reduced for a number of areas. The Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports that there are no reports of major damage so far.

Waves in Japanese island of Hokkaido after earthquake in Russia

Tsunamiwaars were issued for a large number of countries that are on the Pacific Ocean. Along the coast of Ecuador and the northwestern islands of Hawaii, waves of 3 meters were predicted. In other places, waves of a meter high were possible, including in Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga and Taiwan.

Hawaii: no worrying waves

Hawaii prepared this morning for possible tsunamig waves of 3 meters high, but a large tsunami is no longer expected. So far, Hawaii has not seen any worrying waves, said the governor of the Josh Green island group this morning during a press conference. He called that a “great relief”.

The waves have also reached the American west coast. Waves of 1 meter high were measured at the coast of the state of California.

Shaking interior and badly damaged building in Russia after earthquake

For the American islands group De Aleuten in Alaska, the tsunamiwaarschuwing has been scaled up to advice. There is also an advice for part of the coast of the Alaska Peninsula, where the waves are not expected to exceed 45 centimeters.

The Chinese authorities previously issued tsunami warnings for the province of Zhejiang and the city of Shanghai, but they have since been withdrawn. A tsunami alarm still applies in Taiwan.

Well -predicted

“To cause a tsunami, an earthquake must be very powerful and take place under the seabed, so that the water quickly starts moving,” says seismologist Kruiver. “Such a wave has a fairly constant speed, so it is easy to predict when and where such a wave arrives and how high it becomes.”

Although the damage seems relatively limited, the effects are noticeable on the coastal areas in a large part of the Pacific. Beniest: “A wave is created at the place where an earthquake takes place. In principle, it becomes longer if it travels more distance. In this case, the depression that originated by the earthquake was limited, so that the Golf remained relatively small.”

However, it is possible that more quakes follow, says Beniest. “If the earth builds up a lot of tension, it ultimately causes an earthquake. It is possible that there is even more stress in the system and so there are triggers.”