Massive 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Between Russia and Alaska

Massive 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Between Russia and Alaska

By Brian Donegan

Jul 17 2017 10:00 PM EDT

weather.com

Earthquake data is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Story Highlights

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Monday evening off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

A small tsunami was observed in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

This is the second strongest quake of 2017.

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck between Russia and Alaska Monday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred at 7:34 p.m. EDT approximately 124 miles east-southeast of Nikol'skoye, Russia, off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, at a depth of 7.3 miles.

This quake was followed by several aftershocks, some of which were greater than 5.0 magnitude.

A tsunami of 0.3 feet (3.6 inches) above the tide level was observed on Shemya Island, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands. However, the tsunami threat has now passed, and the previously issued tsunami advisory for the Aleutian Islands is no longer in effect.

Originally, the USGS estimated the earthquake as a 7.4 magnitude but quickly revised it to 7.7.

This is currently the second strongest earthquake of 2017. A 7.9 magnitude quake in Papua New Guinea on Jan. 22 was the strongest so far this year.

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