Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A tsunami alert was issued mid-afternoon yesterday local time for Pacific islands, Russia and Japan after a magnitude 8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey says.

The quake was shallow and strong enough to cause waves or a tsunami, it said.

There was a tsunami threat to the Northern Mariana islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan, it said.

Per the latest alerts at press time:

• •        Russia could see waves greater than 3 metres.
• •        Japan could see waves of 1 to 3 metres.
• •        Hawaii could see waves of 1 to 3 metres.
• •        Pacific islands including Midway Island, Johnston Atoll and Palmyra Island could see waves of 1 to 3 metres.
• •        Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Philippines could see waves of 0.3 to 1 metres.

The magnitude 8.0 earthquake near Russia is highly unlikely to directly affect any locations south of the equator. While it has caused tsunami alerts in Hawaii and along the US West Coast, the distance and intervening landmasses would prevent any significant impact that far south, according to news reports.

American Samoa was rife with rumors of a tsunami but as no sirens were heard, or emergency alerts or warning occurred, most of the community continued ‘business as usual’.