Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. USGS: Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes Off Russia's Far East by Reuters LONDON -- A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off Russia's far east on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, although Russian news agencies carried no immediate reports of damage from the sparsely populated area. The quake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, which was initially measured at 7.8 before being revised downwards, struck 82 km (55 miles) west of Nikolskoye at a depth of 9 km, it said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said hazardous tsunami waves from the earthquake were possible within 300 km of the epicenter along the coasts of Russia.