The sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded has triggered waves several feet high hurtling towards coastal areas worldwide.Countries in and around the Pacific Ocean have been placed on varying degrees of alerts for anticipated tsunamis.

The 8.8 magnitude quake off Russia that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific occurred on what is known as a "megathrust fault", where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate,

One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded happened off the Russian coast, triggering tsunami warnings from the U.S. west coast to South America. In Hawaii, people clamored to the top of high-rises and a traffic rush headed away from the coast.