1995 Neftegorsk earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1995 Neftegorsk earthquake was a 7.1Mw
(7.6 MS
) earthquake
that devastated the town of Neftegorsk
in northern Sakhalin Island
, Russia
on May 27 1995 at 23:03 local time (13:03 UTC).
Neftegorsk was nearly completely destroyed by the earthquake, and approximately 2,000 of the 3,176 residents in the town were killed. The earthquake involved right lateral strike-slip movement on a fault that ruptured from south to north for 40 km, with the rupture passing right under Neftegorsk.
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
(7.6 MS
Surface wave magnitude
The surface wave magnitude scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements in Rayleigh surface waves that travel primarily along the uppermost layers of the earth...
) earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that devastated the town of Neftegorsk
Neftegorsk, Sakhalin Oblast
Neftegorsk , called Vostok before 1970, was an oil-producing urban-type settlement in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It was devastated on May 28, 1995 by an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, killing over 2,000 people...
in northern Sakhalin Island
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on May 27 1995 at 23:03 local time (13:03 UTC).
Neftegorsk was nearly completely destroyed by the earthquake, and approximately 2,000 of the 3,176 residents in the town were killed. The earthquake involved right lateral strike-slip movement on a fault that ruptured from south to north for 40 km, with the rupture passing right under Neftegorsk.