Earth's Unrest: Kamchatka Quake and the Shadow of Deep Fracturing Near Russia's Geothermal Hub

Aloha Lāhui,

I hope everyone is OK after that "surge" last night (what happened last night was not a normal "tsunami" it was more of a low and high tide , no tsunami "waves" pushed through..)

In the days leading up to the Kamchatka earthquake, Hawaii Island was already under advisories for unusually high king tides and associated coastal flooding .

This ABC News graphic, forecasting our islands swallowed except for Mauna Kea's tip? Seriously. If you know, you know. As someone born and raised on Moku O Keawe for 36 years, I've never witnessed such engineered panic for what wasn't a normal tsunami. No actual waves came through. It was bizarre, fast "up and down" water fluctuations—like super-rapid, extreme tides. Not normal, by any measure. - Jasmine Steiner KahuPuna Aloha Activism

Our island home teaches us daily about the raw, dynamic power of the Earth. The recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula serves as a stark, global reminder of this immense force. For us, this powerful seismic event also brings to the forefront critical questions about subsurface activities, particularly deep fracturing, in regions like Kamchatka, which is a major geothermal hub.

Just over a week prior, on Sunday, July 20, 2025, the Kamchatka region felt a Magnitude 7.4 earthquake. This event also triggered a tsunami watch for Hawaii that was quickly canceled, preventing the widespread panic seen with the later, larger quake. This earlier tremor, in a region pursuing deep drilling and EGS methods akin to fracking, again highlights how subsurface energy extraction interacts with Earth's volatile crust, underscoring critical questions about induced seismicity.

Kamchatka, much like our own Puna, sits squarely on the "Ring of Fire"—a volatile zone renowned for both its seismic and volcanic activity. It's precisely this geological instability that makes it a target for various subsurface operations, including geothermal drilling that can involve deep fracturing.

Russia's Geothermal Heartbeat Near the Quake's Epicenter

The Kamchatka Peninsula is home to Russia's most significant geothermal power operations, with existing plants and new projects concentrated near the very area where the earthquake struck:

* Mutnovskaya Geothermal Power Plant (GeoPP-1) and Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPP: These are key installations in the Mutnovsky geothermal field, a major operational area within relative proximity to the seismic event. There are even plans for a new 66.5-MW Mutnovskaya 2 facility.

* Pauzhetka Geothermal Power Plant: One of Russia's earliest geothermal facilities, established in 1966.

* Paratunka, Esso, and Anavgay geothermal fields: These areas are primarily used for direct heating applications, tapping into the Earth's hot waters.

What's particularly concerning is that new exploration is actively underway in licensed areas like Koryaksko-Ketkinsky, Verkhnezhirovsky, and Bolshoi-Banny, all near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – close to the recent quake's epicenter. A Russian state-owned oil company, Zarubezhneft, is spearheading these efforts, with plans for three exploratory wells to be drilled between 2025 and 2027. The involvement of an oil and gas company highlights the transfer of drilling expertise, which often includes methods designed for deep subsurface fracturing.

The Seismic Link: Earthquakes and Subsurface Fracking

This leads us directly to a crucial point that resonates deeply with our experience here in Puna: the connection between earthquakes and deep fracturing, often referred to as fracking. When we speak of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) – which are actively researched and implemented in Russia for expanding geothermal access – we're talking about injecting fluids at high pressure into deep, hot, and often impermeable rock formations (The same processes that are taking place in Kīlauea volcano lower east roft zone on Hawaii island ) .

Portrayed as distinct, this process of high-pressure fluid injection to fracture deep rock is fundamentally similar to the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques used in the oil and gas industry.

It is a documented reality that injecting fluids at high pressure into deep rock, whether for EGS or hydrocarbon extraction, has been directly linked to inducing seismic events, including earthquakes. The Kamchatka earthquake, a massive 8.8 magnitude event, occurred in a region undergoing and planning such deep subsurface interventions. This is not a coincidence; it's a stark illustration of how industrial activities involving deep fracturing can directly interact with the Earth's natural fault lines and immense tectonic pressures, potentially influencing seismic activity.

Repurposing Rigs, Extending Risks

Adding to this concern is the growing global trend of repurposing decommissioned oil and gas drilling rigs – and even existing wells – for geothermal projects. While proponents may frame this as a sustainable reuse of infrastructure, it carries a significant underlying risk. These rigs and wells are often designed for the very deep drilling and high-pressure fluid injection methods associated with fracking. Their adaptation for geothermal means extending and normalizing the use of these potentially destabilizing deep subsurface interventions into a new energy sector.

Puna's Fight, Kamchatka's Warning

In Puna, we are deeply acquainted with this situation. Our community is actively engaged in a legal injunction against the illegal practices of Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV). We know that PGV has been employing deep fracturing techniques for many years. Our community, strongly supported by scientists involved in the unprecedented 2024 Hawaii geothermal Injunction, which is ongoing in intermediate appeals as they attempt to obscure the community and our deity, led by Sara Steiner of Puna, Hawaii, stands united against these methods.

We have directly experienced the impact of these techniques on our island's delicate geological balance, and we take the events of 2018 very seriously due to the geothermal activities and their diversion of our sacred volcano. Geothermal operations in Hawaii have permanently altered the state of Kīlauea volcano and have forever prevented Tūtū Pele from reaching and traveling her traditional ocean entry path at Kumukahi, where all life originates.

The recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka, occurring in close proximity to Russia's main geothermal hub and areas targeted for new deep drilling and EGS projects, offers a chilling global parallel. It underscores our message: any subsurface activity that involves deep fracturing carries inherent and serious risks of inducing seismic events. We must remain vigilant, demand transparency, and advocate for truly responsible energy practices that do not compromise the stability of our planet or the safety of our communities.

May we unite to save our planet. The global narratives , the propaganda and fallacies regarding geothermal energy, must be conquered and truth in its place.

Jazzy

KahuPuna