Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes East of the Kuril Is.

Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS

Earthquake Details
Magnitude: 7.4
Date-Time:

• Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 17:49:39 UTC
• Friday, January 16, 2009 at 03:49:39 AM at epicenter

20-degree Quake Map Centered at 45°N,155°E  – Source: USGS

Location: 46.861°N, 155.154°E
Depth: 36 km (22.4 miles) set by location program
Region: EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
Distances:

• 430 km (270 miles) S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
• 590 km (365 miles) ENE of Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands
• 1785 km (1110 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
• 7245 km (4500 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 3.6 km (2.2 miles); depth fixed by location program
Source:  USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID: us2009bwa8

Source: NOAA/NWS

Tectonic Summary:

The Kuril Islands earthquake of January 15th, 2009 occurred as a result of thrust faulting within the Pacific plate. The event occurred near the outer-rise of the Pacific plate about 30 km to the east of where the Pacific plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk plate. In this region, the Pacific plate moves northwest with respect to the Okhotsk plate with a velocity of about 90 mm/yr.

Large and great earthquakes are not uncommon in this region. The location of this event is approximately 90 km to the northeast of the Mw 8.1 outer rise earthquake of January 13th 2007, which occurred as a result of normal faulting near the Pacific plate outer-rise. On November 15th 2006, an Mw 8.3 subduction-related thrust earthquake occurred approximately 160km to the southwest. [Source: USGS]

Tsunami Warning:
NO destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is expected.

Related Links:

• Earthquakes [Index page]