Reviewed by USGSRussia92y ago
M7.5 earthquake 42 km SSW of Shikotan, Russia
Wednesday, September 11, 1935, 14:04:03 UTC · 43.424°N, 146.618°E
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 42 km SSW of Shikotan, Russia on Wednesday, September 11, 1935, 14:04:03 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
2.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 155 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4,898 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
100 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on October 2, 1935. 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 63 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3Kuril IslandsApril 5, 1901 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2268 km SE of Kuril’sk, RussiaMay 22, 1910 · 282 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1Off the coast of Hokkaido, JapanDecember 25, 1900 · 69 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0Kuril IslandsNovember 24, 1900 · 112 km E of this epicenter
- 6.948 km SW of Shikotan, RussiaDecember 28, 1924 · 28 km W of this epicenter
- 6.949 km E of Nemuro, JapanOctober 13, 1911 · 35 km W of this epicenter
- 6.8125 km ESE of Shikotan, RussiaFebruary 2, 1925 · 131 km E of this epicenter
- 6.880 km ESE of Shikotan, RussiaJanuary 28, 1925 · 82 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 46 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1843M8.4
Hokkaido: Yezo, Kushiro, Nemuro
25 Apr 1843 · 166 km away
45 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1894M7.9
Off Coast Of Honshu
22 Mar 1894 · 114 km away · intensity IX
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1904M7.6
Hokkaido
18 Mar 1904 · 122 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1839M7.3
Se. Hokkaido Island, Japan
1 May 1839 · 167 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1900M7.9
Kuril Islands
25 Dec 1900 · 69 km away · intensity IX
- 1896M7.6
Kuril Islands
18 Nov 1896 · 51 km away · intensity IX
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.