Reviewed by USGSRussia22d ago
M5.5 earthquake 152 km E of Kuril’sk, Russia
Friday, September 4, 2026, 23:52:30 UTC · 45.028°N, 149.802°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 152 km E of Kuril’sk, Russia on Friday, September 4, 2026, 23:52:30 UTC, at a depth of 32.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on January 13, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 32 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
101 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
32 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.3 on September 5, 2026. 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 2,081 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 · 31 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.31958 Kuril Islands EarthquakeNovember 6, 1958 · 121 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.348 km E of Shikotan, RussiaOctober 4, 1994 · 241 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.21969 Hokkaido Toho-oki EarthquakeAugust 11, 1969 · 237 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.11918 Kuril Islands EarthquakeSeptember 7, 1918 · 198 km E of this epicenter
- 7.9128 km ESE of Kuril’sk, RussiaDecember 3, 1995 · 57 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8east of the Kuril IslandsNovember 8, 1918 · 174 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8217 km ESE of Kuril’sk, RussiaOctober 20, 1963 · 68 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 46 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1918M8.3
Kuril Islands
7 Sep 1918 · 143 km away
23 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1780M7.5
Kuril Islands
29 Jun 1780 · 114 km away
12 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1994M8.3
Kuril Islands; Japan: Hokkaido
4 Oct 1994 · 241 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1958M8.3
Kuril Islands
6 Nov 1958 · 114 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1969M8.2
Shikotan Island, Kurilskiye
11 Aug 1969 · 219 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1978M7.5
Kuril Islands
6 Dec 1978 · 259 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.