M5.0 earthquake near Nemuro, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 34 km W of Shikotan, Russia on 11 Dec 2018, 00:26 UTC at a depth of 112 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Nemuro, about 78 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.