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.

A massive 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern coast early Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific and along the U.S. West Coast.

A massive earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka, Russia has triggered a series of tsunami alerts for Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. West coast. The earthquake was measured at an 8.7 on the Richter scale according to the U.