M5.4 Earthquake 5 km ESE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia — May 16, 2022
2022-05-16 05:25:54 UTC (2022-05-16) · approx. 3:25 PM UTC+10 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.1 (moderate). Aftershock of the M5.5 mainshock.
On May 16, 2022 at 05:25 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 intermediate depth earthquake struck 5 km ESE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia, at a depth of 93.8 km and coordinates 50.6505°, 156.1912°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.1 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 180 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 449, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Severo-Kuril'sk (population 2,422).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.5 mainshock that occurred 28 days ago 43 km SE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 1 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.
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
Nearest Populated Places
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 1 citizen response 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 633 |
| MMI 4 | light | 4,952 |
Earthquake Details
156.1912°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 5 km ESE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia on May 16, 2022 at 05:25 UTC had a depth of 93.8 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.1 (moderate). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 50.6505°, 156.1912°, which is 5 km ESE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia. The nearest populated place is Severo-Kuril'sk (population 2,422). View all earthquakes in Russia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Is this the same earthquake as the M5.5 one earlier?
No. This magnitude 5.4 earthquake is an aftershock of the larger magnitude 5.5 mainshock that occurred earlier 43 km SE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes triggered by stress changes from the mainshock.
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 5.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000hlee). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, May 16, 2022). M5.4 Earthquake 5 km ESE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia — May 16, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000hlee/