M6.6 earthquake - 117 km E of Shikotan, Russia

What happened

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 117 km E of Shikotan, Russia on 19 Aug 1969, 08:49 UTC at a depth of 29 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 215 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.