Earthquake measuring 4,8 points occurs in central part of Kurils

VLADIVOSTOK, July 27 (Itar-Tass) - There was an earthquake with a
magnitude of 4.8 points in the central part of the Kuril Islands on
Wednesday morning. According to the Geophysical Service of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, the earth tremor was registered at a depth of 90
kilometres, the epicentre was located in the Krusenstern Strait separating
the uninhabited islands Shiashkotan and Matua. The earthquake was not felt
on the islands of Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan, where people
live. There is also no tsunami threat.
The Kuril Islands form part of the ring of tectonic instability
encircling the Pacific Ocean referred to as the Ring of Fire. The islands
themselves are summits of stratovolcanoes that are a direct result of the
subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate, which forms the
Kuril Trench some 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of the islands. The chain
has around 100 volcanoes, some 40 of which are active, and many hot
springs and fumaroles. There is frequent seismic activity, including a
magnitude 8.5 earthquake in 1963 and one of magnitude 8.3 recorded on
November 15, 2006, which resulted in tsunami waves up to 5 feet (1.5 m)
reaching the California coast.
The climate on the islands is generally severe, with long, cold,
stormy winters and short and notoriously foggy summers. The average annual
precipitation is 30-40 inches (760-1,000 mm), most of which falls as snow.
The chain ranges from temperate to sub-Arctic climate types, and the
vegetative cover consequently ranges from tundra in the north to dense
spruce and larch forests on the larger southern islands. The highest
elevations on the islands are Alaid volcano (highest point: 2,339 m/7,674
ft) on Atlasov Island at the northern end of the chain and Tyatya volcano
(1,819 m/5,968 ft) on Kunashir Island at the southern end.