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By Anna Commander
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A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka region early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake's epicenter was located 69.3 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 24 miles.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
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Why It Matters
The city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the administrative center of Kamchatka Krai in Russia's far-east, and has a population of around 165,000 people. The quake caused many residents to rush out of their buildings, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Saturday's earthquake occurred in a region prone to frequent tremors, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American and Okhotsk plates.
What To Know
The Pacific Tsunami Warning System said there was a threat of a possible tsunami following Saturday's earthquake, but later dropped the warning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned that there could be slight changes to sea levels in coastal regions.
Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula was hit by a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake in July, which set off tsunami waves in the Pacific Ocean that reached California.
The USGS said that Saturday's quake was an "aftershock of the M8.8 Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake that struck on July 29."
It added that it was the result of "shallow reverse faulting," which is where the upper block of the Earth's crust moves up and over the lower block.
What People Are Saying
The USGS said on its website: "At the earthquake's location, the Pacific Plate is moving west-northwest relative to the North American Plate at a rate of approximately 80 mm/year.
"The earthquake's location and faulting mechanism are consistent with faulting along the subduction zone plate interface of the Kuril-Kamchatka arc.
"Although earthquakes are often represented as points on maps, events of this magnitude are better described as slip across a broad fault area. Reverse faulting earthquakes of this size typically involve rupture dimensions of approximately 70 km in length and 35 km in width."
What Happens Next
The USGS updates the public on global earthquake activity on its website. It will monitor for further aftershocks and earthquakes in the Kamchatka region.
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