Earthquake of magnitude 6.5 strikes Kuril Islands

Kuril Island [Russia], July 31 (ANI): An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck east of the Kuril Islands on Thursday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

As per the statement, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 6.5, On: 31/07/2025 10:57:14 IST, Lat: 49.51 N, Long: 158.75 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: East of Kuril Islands."

Earlier on Wednesday, another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the Kuril Islands at a depth of 10 km.

In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 6.3, On: 30/07/2025 08:00:37 IST, Lat: 50.64 N, Long: 157.49 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Kuril Islands."

The massive 8.8 magnitude quake on Wednesday is tied for the sixth strongest ever recorded. There were no casualties in Russia, the Kremlin said.

Around 125 aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 or greater have occurred near Russia in the more than 16 hours since the massive 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast, according to data from the US Geological Survey, CNN reported.

Of those, three have been magnitude 6.0 or greater, with the strongest being a 6.9 that occurred about 45 minutes after the main shock.

Strong aftershocks continue to rock the region, with a 6.4 magnitude aftershock striking around 200 miles southwest of yesterday's main quake's epicenter just before 11am (local time) on Wednesday.

Aftershocks are generally strongest and most numerous in the hours to days after the main earthquake, decreasing in number and intensity as time goes on.

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.

Meanwhile, the tsunami advisory for Hawaii has been lifted after a massive earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast put the region on high alert. Tsunami warnings for the US coastline and Japan were downgraded to advisories earlier, as per CNN. (ANI)

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