An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 6.8 struck today near the Kuril Islands, a remote archipelago between Russia’s Far East and Japan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The temblor’s epicenter was 100 miles (161 km) south-southwest of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia, and 1,231 miles (1,981 km) northeast of Tokyo, Japan. It originated 3 miles (4.9 km) deep and struck at 4:12 a.m. Saturday local time [1812 Friday UTC], the USGS reports.

Earthquakes of this size are considered major and can cause significant damage, especially with poorly built structures. Even well designed buildings can be damaged or, in some cases, destroyed depending on the severity of the quake and a building’s proximity to the epicenter. Earthquakes of this size are sometimes followed by significant aftershocks.

Source: Live Science – Strong Earthquake Strikes Russia’s Kuril Islands