Reviewed by USGSRussia59y ago
M6.1 earthquake 64 km SE of Shikotan, Russia
Monday, January 29, 1968, 16:42:51 UTC · 43.364°N, 147.253°E
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 64 km SE of Shikotan, Russia on Monday, January 29, 1968, 16:42:51 UTC, at a depth of 36.6 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on January 29, 1968.
- Magnitude
- 6.1
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 37 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
24 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 50 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
65 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
37 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on February 4, 1968. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 6.595 km SSE of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 36 km S of this epicenter
- 5.691 km SSE of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 28 km S of this epicenter
- 5.566 km S of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 37 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.767 km SSE of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 31 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.292 km SSE of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 31 km S of this epicenter
- 6.097 km SE of Shikotan, Russia59y ago · 36 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 287 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.51963 Kuril Islands EarthquakeOctober 13, 1963 · 245 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.31958 Kuril Islands EarthquakeNovember 6, 1958 · 158 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.542 km SSW of Shikotan, RussiaSeptember 11, 1935 · 52 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4170 km ESE of Kuril’sk, RussiaFebruary 21, 1937 · 232 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.426 km S of Shikotan, RussiaJanuary 29, 1968 · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.3Kuril IslandsApril 5, 1901 · 188 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2134 km E of Shikotan, RussiaDecember 21, 1946 · 96 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2268 km SE of Kuril’sk, RussiaMay 22, 1910 · 231 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 47 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1843M8.4
Hokkaido: Yezo, Kushiro, Nemuro
25 Apr 1843 · 183 km away
45 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1894M7.9
Off Coast Of Honshu
22 Mar 1894 · 140 km away · intensity IX
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1938M6.1
E. Hokkaido Island, Japan
28 May 1938 · 240 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1958M8.3
Kuril Islands
6 Nov 1958 · 166 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1963M8.5
Kuril Islands
13 Oct 1963 · 256 km away · intensity IX
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1904M7.6
Hokkaido
18 Mar 1904 · 152 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.