A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Russia in the same area where an even bigger quake hit earlier this year. A tsunami advisory has been issued.

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia's Kamchatka region at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. Newsweek's live blog is closed.

Test earthquake, tsunami and all-clear alerts would be issued at 9:21am, 9:30am and 10am respectively on Friday, aimed at improving emergency response capabilities and optimizing disaster warning systems, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today.

Less than two months after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, another strong earthquake occurred early on September 19 local time. Although tsunami waves have been observed closer to the earthquake’s epicenter off Kamchatka’s eastern coast,

According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, the Aleutian megathrust is the primary cause of the strongest earthquakes in the region. The Aleutian megathrust is a major subduction zone fault, an area where two tectonic plates meet.

The Juan de Fuca Plate has been steadily pushing against the Pacific Coast as it slides beneath the North American Plate. But the roughly 47-million-square-mile North American Plate isn’t budging. Instead, it’s locked tightly against the Juan de Fuca’s surface.