A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Sakhalin Island in 2007, leaving 8,000 people homeless and triggering a tsunami with waves up to 3.2 metres.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- Mw 6.2
- Depth
- 10 km
- Deaths
- At least 4
- Injured
- At least 12
- Homeless
- 8,000 people
- Max tsunami wave height
- 3.2 m
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake was caused by reverse faulting along a north–south striking, west-dipping fault located approximately 20 km off the coast of Kholmsk, Sakhalin Island. Tectonic stress in this subduction-influenced region produced the sudden slip that generated both the main shock and over 1,800 recorded aftershocks by year's end.
On 2 August 2007 at 13:37 local time, a moment magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km near Nevelsk on Sakhalin Island, Russia. The event generated three tsunami waves along the island's coastline, with a maximum recorded wave height of 3.2 metres, and smaller waves were observed as far away as Hokkaido, Japan.
The earthquake rendered 250 buildings uninhabitable and left 8,000 people homeless. At least four people died and at least 12 were injured. Although the tsunami reached Japan's Hokkaido coast, no damage was reported there, limiting the international impact to the immediate Sakhalin region.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 4 (earthquake)