M6.8 earthquake - 72 km ENE of Svetlaya, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 72 km ENE of Svetlaya, Russia on 7 May 1987, 03:05 UTC at a depth of 430 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a deep earthquake; shaking at the surface is usually weak for its size.

The nearest town in our records is Nevel’sk, about 201 km away in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia.