Tsunami alerts were issued for Alaska and Hawaii on Tuesday after a major, 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, according to officials.

Russia’s magnitude 8.8 earthquake spawned serious tsunami warnings, but waves have been moderate so far. Here’s the geological reason why

A massive magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia Tuesday, sparking tsunami warnings in Alaska and Hawaii and alerts for other areas of the West Coast. The earthquake occurred about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula with a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.