A kindergarten damaged by the earthquake is seen in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Krai, Russia, July 30, 2025. Administration of the Governor of Kamchatka Krai/Handout via REUTERS
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The 8.8 magnitude quake off Russia that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific occurred on what is known as a "megathrust fault", where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, scientists said.
The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula area off Russia's Far East coast where it struck especially vulnerable to such tremors - and bigger aftershocks cannot be ruled out, they said.
