Shallow M6.1 earthquake hits Kuril Islands
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M6.1 hit the Kuril Islands at 18:35 UTC on June 13, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located 443 km (275 miles) E of Kuril’sk (population 1 607), Russia, and 694 km (431 miles) ENE of Nemuro (population 31 223), Japan.
There is 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 M6.1 earthquake Kuril Islands – USGS – June 13, 2025
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.
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