Earthquakes medium

M 5.0 mb earthquake 16 km WSW of Shikotan, Russia on Oct 19 2026

Source: USGS · near Shikotan, Russia

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 16 km WSW of Shikotan. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.0 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,740 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.0 event ranks stronger than 55% of them (rank #612 by magnitude).

Read this earthquake report in 30 seconds

Magnitude
M 5.0
USGS class
Moderate
Location
16 km WSW of Shikotan
Archive rank
#612 of 1,740
Source
USGS
Published
September 20, 2026
MODERATE

Sits above 55% of the 1,740 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 611 ran stronger.

Record status: a point-in-time USGS detection. Aftershocks, revised magnitude, and felt-report data continue to update on USGS's own event page after publication.

What Happened

A magnitude 5.0 mb earthquake occurred at 12:45:38 UTC on October 19, 2026 (Unix time 1789946738807), located 16 km WSW of Shikotan, Russia. The event was reviewed by USGS with magnitude type mb.

Location Details

The epicenter was at latitude 43.7443, longitude 146.5339. The depth of 64.936 km classifies it as an intermediate-depth earthquake (20-70 km). The location is 16 km west-southwest of Shikotan, Russia.

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. There is no tsunami advisory (tsunami field: 0) and no alert level was issued.

What You Should Know

This was a moderate earthquake. Such events can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.

Source

Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000tiu3

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two cross-category peer sets, both computed from Areazine's own archive: notices with a similar body length, and notices near the same severity and agency date. These are drawn from other categories, not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (825 characters here).

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Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 20, 2026.

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What People Ask

What people usually ask about a notice like this one.

What was the magnitude of this event? ▾
A magnitude 5.0 mb earthquake struck 16 km WSW of Shikotan, Russia at a depth of 64.9 km.
How should a magnitude 5.0 ("Moderate") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.0 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Is this earthquake stronger or weaker than others in the archive? ▾
This is the #612 strongest of the 1,740 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 55% of them and weaker than 611 others.
Was Shikotan likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 16 km WSW of Shikotan. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

Where this data comes from

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AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

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National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category