Earthquake: 8.0-magnitude tremor near Russia's Kamchatka sparks tsunami alerts from Japan to Hawaii

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, prompting Japan’s meteorological agency to issue a tsunami advisory along its Pacific coast.

The quake hit at 8:25 a.m. local time (2325 GMT Tuesday), about 250 kilometers off Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned of potential tsunami waves up to 1 meter high. No damage has been reported so far.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake’s depth at 19.3 kilometers (12 miles). Although the tremor was only slightly felt in Japan, the tsunami risk stems from the quake’s shallowness, said Shinichi Sakai, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo. “Even distant quakes can generate tsunami if they’re shallow,” Sakai told NHK.

A tsunami watch was also issued for Hawaii, though no immediate impacts have been reported from the U.S. or Russian sides.

Japan, located on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences frequent seismic activity. Earlier this month, five powerful quakes rocked the Kamchatka region, the strongest registering magnitude 7.4.

In a historical echo, the region was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in 1952 that sent 30-foot waves to Hawaii, though it caused no reported fatalities.

Officials continue to monitor the Pacific coastline for possible wave activity.