Strong earthquake hits Russia's Kuril Islands

[News_Editor]

Strong earthquake hits Russia's Kuril Islands

2011-08-04 22:10:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

OSTROV SHIASHKOTAN, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck near one of the islands of Russia's Kuril Islands on early Friday morning, seismologists said, but no tsunami alert was issued.

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake at 1.51 a.m. local time (1351 GMT Thursday) was centered about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of Ostrov Shiashkotan, a small uninhabited Russian island which is part of the Kuril Islands. It struck about 49 kilometers (30.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS estimated that several hundred people may have felt the earthquake on islands in nearby, but said no damage or casualties were expected. "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage," the USGS said.

Because earthquakes with a magnitude below 7 do normally not generate tsunamis, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami watch or warning.

The Kuril Islands, which consists of 56 islands and many more minor rock, is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-04