On Tuesday, July 29, just 21 minutes after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, waves were triggered nearly 4,000 miles away in Death Valley National Park. Earthquakes can generate waves in enclosed bodies of water, even over long distances.
Devils Hole is a water-filled cave approximately 12 feet wide and more than 500 feet deep, with a water surface that is typically sheltered from wind and remains extremely calm. The endangered Devils Hole Pupfish depend on a shallow shelf at the cave’s mouth for most of their food and spawning.
The Pupfish’s habitat was previously affected by earthquake waves in December and February, which removed most of algae and invertebrates that Pupfish rely on for food. During the official survey in March, only 38 fish were counted.
The waves generated by this earthquake were smaller than those from the previous quakes, as the epicenter was farther away. The 10-inch waves from the Kamchatka quake only removed some materials from the shallow shelf.
Additionally, the timing of this quake is less concerning for the Pupfish, which are about the size of a feeder goldfish. With the sun at a high angle in summer, conditions are favorable for algae regrowth. Pupfish typically increase their spawning rates after disturbances, offering hope for a rebound of the Devils Hole Pupfish population.
(… and no, you can’t fish for the Pupfish)
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RVT1220b
Thank you, RV Travel, for this interesting bit of news. Have a great weekend and safe travels!
Strange how the 928 nuclear detonations at the Nevada Test Site (45 miles away) were considered no threat to the fish in the day yet in 2025, an earthquake halfway across the world draws concern.
Funny how that works, isn’t it?
We have gotten a lot smarter in the past 80 years. Remember folks sitting on bleachers with sun glasses watching the blasts?
At first I thought that was way too quick but it turns out waves can travel through the earths core at over 9000 mph. So the earth rings like a bell.