M5.3 earthquake near Shibetsu, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 75 km NNE of Otrada, Russia on 9 Oct 2023, 05:09 UTC at a depth of 182 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 Shibetsu, about 143 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.