Powerful earthquake hits off far east coast of Russia, though no early reports of damage

This photo provided by the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Aug. 17, shows the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano reportedly caused by 7.0-magnitude earthquake about 102 kilometers (63 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Kamchatka peninsula, Russia. AP-Yonhap

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck in the Pacific off the far eastern coast of Russia near a major naval base early Sunday, but there were no early reports of damage or injuries.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning that was later lifted.

The earthquake occurred 18 miles (29 kilometers) below the surface and its epicenter was about 63 miles (102 kilometers) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a port city of more than 181,000 people surrounded by volcanoes and sits across a bay from an important Russian submarine 토토 base.

The U.S. National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu initially warned that hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 miles (480 kilometers) of the earthquake epicenter, but later announced the threat had ended.

The center said minor sea level fluctuations could occur in some coastal areas near the earthquake site for several hours.

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