Russian scientist forecasts more earthquakes in Pacific zone

KHABAROVSK, March 12, 2010, (RIA Novosti)

Areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean are likely to experience earthquakes and tsunamis in the coming years as the planet entered another long period of seismic activity, a Russian scientist said on Friday.

Vladimir Bormotov, a scientist at the Far Eastern Institute of Tectonics and Geophysics in Khabarovsk, said areas which make the Pacific seismic zone, including Russia's Far Eastern territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka, the U.S. state of Alaska and coastal regions in South America entered a period of increased seismic activity.

"Seismic activity in the Pacific belt has increased in the recent years... which means that the Earth entered another period of tectonic activity. It is a long process, which is likely to take years," he told RIA Novosti.

The scientist said the process was triggered by the 9.3-magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004, the second most powerful tremor ever recorded by a seismograph. The quake produced a series of killing waves, which left over 200,000 people dead in 14 countries.

Bormotov said the recent powerful quakes in Chile supported the theory.

On February 27, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurred to the north of Concepcion. According to official reports, 497 people died as a result of the tremor. The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks and tsunamis leaving some 2 million Chileans homeless and damaging about 1.5 million houses.

A new earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit Chile on Thursday.

KHABAROVSK, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

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