M6.8 earthquake near Nemuro, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 54 km SSW of Nemuro, Japan on 6 Dec 2004, 14:15 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 55 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.