A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 204 kilometers south of Severo-Kurilsk, Russia, on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The tremor happened in the Kuril-Kamchatka region, which has long-standing seismic volatility. It comes just weeks after a massive 8.8 quake off the Kamchatka Peninsula that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific and flooded parts of Severo-Kurilsk.
Thursday’s offshore quake occurred at a depth of about 75 kilometers and did not trigger a tsunami warning.
Why It Matters
The Kuril Islands, including Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir Island, lie in Russia’s Far East along the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Stretching between Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan’s Hokkaido, the chain of volcanic islands is prone to frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American and Okhotsk plates.
What To Know
On July 30, a staggering magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck offshore of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula—tied for the sixth strongest quake ever recorded—sending tsunami warnings rippling across the Pacific from Japan and Hawaii to the U.S. West Coast and parts of South America.
The quake, occurring at a shallow depth of roughly 20 kilometers, unleashed waves up to 4–5 meters high that inundated coastal areas including Severo‑Kurilsk, flooding its port and damaging infrastructure.
The magnitude of the event was so great that the southern part of the peninsula sank by almost two meters (six feet) according to the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). Despite the earthquake’s magnitude, no fatalities occurred and resulting tsunami damaged port facilities and a fish processing plant in Severo-Kurilsk. While the damage being less than feared, the geological impact was significant.
Associated Press
It was followed by a flurry of aftershocks—including a 7.4‑magnitude tremor on August 2. One day later, the remote Krasheninnikov volcano, dormant for roughly 600 years, erupted in the same region. The aftershocks highlighted the vulnerability of global coastlines in the Pacific Ring of Fire which is marked by intense tectonic activity.
The quake and resulting waves inflicted damage on some Russian infrastructure. Satellite imagery revealed that the Rybachiy nuclear submarine base’s key dock was snapped and displaced by the surge, although no submarines were confirmed harmed.
Severo-Kurilsk itself has a history shaped by natural disasters—most notably the devastating 1952 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the town and led to its relocation to higher ground.
The area is sparsely populated, with fishing as its primary industry, while also serving as a strategic outpost for Russia in the North Pacific.
Update: 8/28/25, 11:38 a.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Update: 8/28/25, 7:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
