M5.9 Quake Strikes Kuril Trench

Strong quake occurs near Zenkavich Rise

Centered at 48.302°N, 154.285°E (about 296km SSW of Severo-Kurilsk), the quake struck at a depth of 34.0 km (21.1 mi), reported USGS/EHP.

The Kuril-Kamchatka Arc is a seismically hyperactive region. In November 5, 1952 a M9.0 event, the 5th largest recorded earthquake in history, generated a devastating tsunami with run-up wave heights measuring about 15, 18 and 12 meters striking along the coast of Paramushir (located in the northern portion of Kuril Islands chain) causing significant damage to many settlements in Sakhalin Oblast and Kamchatka Oblast, and destroying the town of Severo-Kurilsk.

After the earthquake most of the Severo-Kurilsk residents fled to the surrounding hills, and were spared by the first wave. However, many of them returned to the town only to be claimed by the second wave.

The tsunami killed about 2,340 people out of a population of 6,000. The survivors were evacuated to continental Russia, and new settlements were later built in different locations.