Reviewed by USGSRussia91y ago
M7.3 earthquake 61 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, Russia
Friday, November 13, 1936, 12:31:33 UTC · 56.017°N, 163.386°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 61 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, Russia on Friday, November 13, 1936, 12:31:33 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on February 24, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 96 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,020 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
15 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and North American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
20 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 200 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on November 14, 1936. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 40 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.41923 Kamchatka, Russia EarthquakeFebruary 3, 1923 · 251 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.043 km E of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaJanuary 30, 1917 · 20 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, RussiaSeptember 15, 1905 · 46 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SSE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaFebruary 24, 1923 · 62 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3233 km SE of Atlasovo, RussiaJuly 31, 1915 · 234 km S of this epicenter
- 7.283 km SSE of Atlasovo, RussiaDecember 28, 1927 · 224 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0Komandorskiye Ostrova, Russia regionAugust 19, 1925 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 7.03 km ENE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaApril 13, 1923 · 59 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 21 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1923M7.2
Near Kamchatka
13 Apr 1923 · 77 km away · intensity X
18 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1923M8.4
Kamchatka
3 Feb 1923 · 251 km away · intensity XI
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1923M7.7
Kamchatka Peninsula
24 Feb 1923 · 129 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1936M7.3
Near Kamchatka
13 Nov 1936 · 99 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1849
Kamchatka
28 Sep 1849 · 200 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1792M8.4
Near Kamchatka
22 Aug 1792 · 241 km away · intensity XI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.