Strong M6.7 earthquake hits Kuril Islands, Russia
A strong earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.7 hit Kuril Islands, Russia at 12:47 UTC on December 27, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 160 km (100 miles). USGS and EMSC have also registered it as M6.7 at the same depth.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 380 km (236 miles) ENE of Kuril’sk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, and 650 km (406 miles) NE of Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Based on all available data, NWS PTWC said there was no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and unreinforced brick with mud construction.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.7 earthquake Kuril Islands – USGS – December 27, 2024
2 M6.7 earthquake Kuril Islands – EMSC – December 27, 2024
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- Second nationwide US flight halt since 9/11: how the November 13 FAA ground stop compares with September 2001 and January 2023 Epicenter
- FAA grounds all departing flights across the US after communications outage hits air traffic control centers nationwide
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
