A powerful earthquake struck Russia’s Kuril Islands on Sunday, shaking the remote region in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
According to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake initially registered at a magnitude of 6.35 and occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). However, this estimate was later revised.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) both upgraded the magnitude to 7.0, classifying it as a significant seismic event. Despite the quake’s strength, authorities confirmed there was no tsunami warning issued following the tremor.
The Kuril Islands, located between Japan’s Hokkaido Island and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, are part of a seismically active zone known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire”—a region notorious for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
So far, no injuries or damage have been reported, but officials are monitoring the situation for any aftershocks.
This is the latest in a series of seismic events affecting Russia’s Far East, which recently witnessed a rare volcanic eruption after 450 years of dormancy.
