M6.1 earthquake - 73 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 73 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 15 Feb 1961, 10:45 UTC at a depth of 34 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Nemuro, about 171 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.