8.8 magnitude earthquake is world's largest since 2011

The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the far eastern coast of Russia was the largest the world’s seen since 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude one struck Japan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka peninsula was also among the world's 10 largest earthquakes since 1990 and the largest recorded in the area since 1952, USGS said.

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That was the year that a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the area, USGS said. Its epicenter was less than 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, from the one that struck Wednesday. Another massive 8.4 magnitude quake struck the area in 1923.

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake followed a series of smaller quakes in the same waters over the last few days.

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck on July 20, prompting brief warnings of potential tsunami waves on the nearby peninsula and farther across the Pacific in Hawaii.

More than 50 earthquakes measuring over 5.0 magnitude rumbled the area in the 10 days since that quake, USGS said. Another three quakes reached a magnitude of 6.6 within that period, officials said.