MOSCOW -- An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck near the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka region on Saturday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), GFZ said.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) pegged the magnitude at 7.4, with a depth of 39.5 km (24.5 mi).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System said there was a threat of a possible tsunami from the earthquake, and Japan, Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific may see waves of less than 30 centimetres.

In Japan, to the southwest of the Kamchatka Peninsula, no tsunami warning has been issued, broadcaster Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.

In July, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the Kamchatka peninsula, triggering tsunamis up to four metres high across the Pacific and sparking evacuations from Hawaii to Japan.

The earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale was the largest since 2011, when a magnitude 9.1 tremor off Japan caused a tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people.

July's quake prompted authorities in Japan to order almost two million people to head to higher ground.

Tsunami warnings were also issued across the region, before being rescinded or downgraded.