Extremely Rare 8.2 Earthquake Hits Russia: First Quake Since 1977 Sparks Tsunami Warning

The 8.2 earthquake that struck Russia's Far East coast on Friday was the first quake in Moscow since 1977. The extremely rare quake that shook up the continent led regional emergency authorities to issue tsunami warnings.

The magnitude 8.2 earthquake was felt in a number of cities in Russia, including Moscow, which was 7,000 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The massive earthquake on Friday was an extremely rare incident, as the last recorded earthquake in Moscow was in 1977. After 36 years free of quakes, Moscow felt one of the biggest, most powerful undersea earthquakes in history.

When residents in Moscow experienced the quake, they were prompted to evacuate from buildings and schools.

"There were repercussions of the quake in Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and Europe, in particular Romania. Practically the whole continent shook," said Anataoly Tsygankov of the state Rosgidromet environmental monitoring service.

For about five minutes, tremors were also felt in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where a nuclear submarine base is located.

After the 8.2 earthquake, regional emergency authorities felt the need to issue tsunami warnings for Sakhalin and the Kurile islands. They advised those living in dangerous areas to seek high ground. However, the warnings were lifted a few minutes after.

Residents living in northern Japan were also reported to have felt the 8.2 quake, but no tsunami warnings were issued by Japan's meteorological agency.

Fortunately, Russian officials said that no damage, injuries, or casualties have been reported.

The region in the Far East where the earthquake began to spread is located along the Pacific "ring of fire." The area is known for its high levels of volcanic and seismic activity, and extends all the way from New Zealand to Japan, from Alaska to the west coasts of the Americas.