Reviewed by USGSRussia31y ago
M3.8 earthquake 188 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia
Wednesday, February 21, 1996, 00:21:14 UTC · 44.456°N, 150.000°E
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 188 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia on Wednesday, February 21, 1996, 00:21:14 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.8
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
39 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
33 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 50 km
USGS lists 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on February 28, 1996. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.9139 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia30y ago · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.8182 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia31y ago · 34 km N of this epicenter
- 4.9141 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia31y ago · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 3.8183 km ESE of Kuril’sk, Russia31y ago · 12 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4172 km SE of Kuril’sk, Russia31y ago · 32 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.9154 km SE of Kuril’sk, Russia31y ago · 41 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,609 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 · 62 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.31958 Kuril Islands EarthquakeNovember 6, 1958 · 120 km W of this epicenter
- 8.348 km E of Shikotan, RussiaOctober 4, 1994 · 227 km W of this epicenter
- 8.21969 Hokkaido Toho-oki EarthquakeAugust 11, 1969 · 209 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.11918 Kuril Islands EarthquakeSeptember 7, 1918 · 193 km E of this epicenter
- 7.9128 km ESE of Kuril’sk, RussiaDecember 3, 1995 · 60 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8east of the Kuril IslandsNovember 8, 1918 · 163 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8217 km ESE of Kuril’sk, RussiaOctober 20, 1963 · 53 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 40 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 · 166 km away
23 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1780M7.5
Kuril Islands
29 Jun 1780 · 133 km away
12 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1994M8.3
Kuril Islands; Japan: Hokkaido
4 Oct 1994 · 227 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1958M8.3
Kuril Islands
6 Nov 1958 · 116 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1969M8.2
Shikotan Island, Kurilskiye
11 Aug 1969 · 193 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1978M7.5
Kuril Islands
6 Dec 1978 · 271 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.