M6.0 earthquake - 59 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck 59 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 12 Jul 1939, 20:08 UTC at a depth of 35 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 161 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.