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 Kamchatka Peninsula and surrounding Pacific Rim regions continued to experience seismic instability, with dozens of aftershocks being reported on Saturday by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

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