M5.0 earthquake near Nemuro, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 50 km SSE of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Russia on 24 Dec 2019, 14:36 UTC at a depth of 94 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 50 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.