M6.3 earthquake - 137 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 137 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 21 May 1986, 05:47 UTC at a depth of 39 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 233 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.