Reviewed by USGSRussia region102y ago
M7.0 earthquake in Komandorskiye Ostrova, Russia region
Wednesday, August 19, 1925, 12:07:31 UTC · 55.291°N, 167.198°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck in Komandorskiye Ostrova, Russia region on Wednesday, August 19, 1925, 12:07:31 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on February 24, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
511 kilotons of TNT
That is about 34 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,072 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
119 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 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 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.043 km E of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaJanuary 30, 1917 · 270 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, RussiaSeptember 15, 1905 · 211 km W of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SSE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaFebruary 24, 1923 · 251 km W of this epicenter
- 6.6202 km S of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaMarch 18, 1914 · 294 km W of this epicenter
- 6.6216 km WNW of Attu Station, AlaskaJanuary 6, 1906 · 281 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5180 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaOctober 20, 1924 · 133 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3Komandorskiye Ostrova, Russia regionAugust 1, 1906 · 106 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.1292 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, RussiaAugust 11, 1922 · 41 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1849
Kamchatka
28 Sep 1849 · 83 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1737M7.8
Off Kamchatka
4 Nov 1737 · 266 km away · intensity X
- 1917M7.8
Kamchatka
30 Jan 1917 · 294 km away
tsunami
- 1849M7.5
Komandorsky Island
28 Oct 1849 · 83 km away · intensity X
- 1858M7.5
Komandorsky Island
22 Jan 1858 · 83 km away · intensity X
- 1791M6.8
Kamchatka
15 Apr 1791 · 275 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.