1994 Kuril Islands earthquake
The 1994 Kuril Islands earthquake occurred on October 4, 1994 at 13:22 UTC (October 5, 1994 at 00:22 local time).[1][2] The magnitude of this earthquake was put at Mw 8.2, or Mj 8.1.[3] The epicenter was located at about 70 km east of the Shikotan Island. This earthquake triggered a tsunami in southern Kuril Islands and Hokkaido.[4] The tsunami run-up height was more than 3 m in Yuzhno-Kurilsk bay and 5 m in Zelenyi Island, Russia.[2] A peak-to-trough tsunami wave height of 346 cm was recorded in Hanasaki, Japan.[5] The shaking and tsunami caused road and building damage. At least 10 people were reported dead. The intensity was MSK VI~IX in Shikotan Island.[2] Oil storage tanks in Malokurilsk and Krabozavodsk were damaged. An oil leak occurred and causing heavy contamination of the port area.[6] The earthquake could be felt in Tokyo with shindo 3, and in Hokkaido, the highest intensity reached shindo 6.[7][8] This earthquake was an intra-slab earthquake within the Pacific Plate which is subducting beneath the Okhotsk Plate.[9][10] A numerical simulation of the tsunami suggested that the first wave was caused by a significant subsidence north of the Kuril Islands due to the earthquake.[11]
A large aftershock of magnitude Mw 7.1 or Ms 7.7 occurred on October 9, 1994 at 07:55 UTC. It was located at 43.97° N, 148.22° E with a depth of 33 km.[2] It generated a tsunami, and a peak-to-trough tsunami wave height of 18 cm was recorded in Hanasaki, Japan.[5]
References
