M5.5 earthquake - 81 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 81 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 22 May 2017, 11:00 UTC at a depth of 54 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Nemuro, about 186 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.