M4.6 Earthquake 1 km S of Artyshta, Russia — October 17, 2020
2020-10-17 17:21:07 UTC (2020-10-17) · approx. 11:21 PM UTC+6 local
Felt by 5 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.5 (strong).
On October 17, 2020 at 17:21 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 1 km S of Artyshta, Russia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 54.1055°, 86.2947°. The earthquake was reported felt by 5 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.5 (strong).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Russia, a region characterized by the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone on the northwestern Pacific Ring of Fire. The nearest mapped fault system is the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. View all earthquakes in Russia.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 5 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
86.2947°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Artyshta, Russia?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 1 km S of Artyshta, Russia on October 17, 2020 at 17:21 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 5 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.5 (strong). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 54.1055°, 86.2947°, which is 1 km S of Artyshta, Russia. View all earthquakes in Russia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Russia had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Russia was the M9.0 Kamchatka earthquake of November 4, 1952. Today's magnitude 4.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000c90v). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 17, 2020). M4.6 Earthquake 1 km S of Artyshta, Russia — October 17, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000c90v/