Three Kamchatka earthquakes, which occurred at similar locations off the coast of Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia in 1737, 1923 and 1952, were megathrust earthquakes and caused tsunamis. They occurred where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Okhotsk Plate at the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. The depth of the trench at the point of the earthquakes is 7000–7500 meters. Northern Kamchatka lies at the western end of the Bering fault, between the Pacific Plate and North American Plate.[1]
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The epicentre of the 1737 earthquake was located at 52°30′N 159°30′E / 52.5°N 159.5°E. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 40 km. A magnitude of 8.3 Ms has been estimated.[2][3]
On February 4 1923, an estimated magnitude 8.3-8.5 Mw earthquake with an approximate location of 54°00′N 161°00′E / 54.0°N 161.0°E triggered an 8 meter tsunami that caused considerable damage in Kamchatka, with a number of reported deaths.[4][5] The tsunami was still 6 meters high when it reached Hawaii, causing at least one fatality.[4]
The main earthquake struck at 16:58 GMT (04:58 local time) on November 4, 1952. Initially assigned a magnitude of 8.2, the quake was revised to 9.0 Mw in later years.[6] A series of tsunamis resulted, causing destruction and loss of life around the Kamchatka peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Hawaii was also struck, with estimated damages of up to US $1million and livestock losses, but no human casualties were recorded. Japan also reported no casualties or damage. The tsunami reached as far as Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand.[7][4]
The epicentre was located at 52°45′N 159°30′E / 52.75°N 159.5°E, at a depth of 30 km. The length of the subduction zone fracture was 600 km. Aftershocks were recorded in an area of approximately 247,000 km2, with epicenters at depths of between 40 and 60 km.[8][9]
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