M6.8 earthquake - 123 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 123 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 21 Dec 1946, 19:48 UTC at a depth of 25 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 224 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.