M6.1 earthquake hits Kuril Islands, Russia
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Kuril Islands, Russia at 20:49 UTC on September 1, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 141.2 km (87.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located 13.6 km (8.5 miles) ENE of Severo-Kuril’sk (population 2 442), Sakhalin Oblast, Russia.
6 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and unreinforced brick with mud construction.


Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking



Regional seismicity

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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