Reviewed by USGSRussia77y ago
M7.7 earthquake 100 km SSE of Korsakov, Russia
Tuesday, February 28, 1950, 10:21:00 UTC · 45.882°N, 143.491°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 100 km SSE of Korsakov, Russia on Tuesday, February 28, 1950, 10:21:00 UTC, at a depth of 329.0 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 329 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
245 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and Amur plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
329 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.322 km ESE of Makubetsu, JapanSeptember 1, 1905 · 126 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.079 km S of Korsakov, RussiaSeptember 6, 1911 · 49 km W of this epicenter
- 6.67 km SW of Kitami, JapanJuly 5, 1907 · 237 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3102 km WSW of Kuril’sk, RussiaOctober 10, 1947 · 268 km E of this epicenter
- 6.093 km WNW of Rumoi, JapanSeptember 8, 1910 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.017 km ESE of Asahikawa, JapanJuly 11, 1927 · 253 km S of this epicenter
- 5.933 km NNE of Otrada, RussiaOctober 21, 1947 · 257 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.983 km NNE of Nayoro, JapanJanuary 31, 1932 · 107 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1938M6.1
E. Hokkaido Island, Japan
28 May 1938 · 262 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1950M7.9
Sea Of Okhotsk
28 Feb 1950 · 41 km away · intensity VI
- 1905M7.5
Hokkaido
1 Sep 1905 · 105 km away
- 1863M6.4
Nw. Hokkaido Island, Japan
20 Sep 1863 · 211 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.