KURILSK, Russia, Shawwal 19, 1432, Sep 17, 2011, SPA -- Four undersea earthquakes were recorded off Russia's eastern Kuril Islands and eastern Japan Saturday morning, UPI cited government officialsas saying. None of the quakes produced a tsunami threat, officials said. "The first earthquake of 7.1 magnitude was registered at 6:35 Sakhalin time 460 kilometers [288 miles] southeast of the city of Yuzhno-Kurilsk," Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti. "Three earthquakes of 5.8, 6 and 5.9 magnitude were reported at 7:10, 8:09 and 8:38 [Sakhalin time], respectively." Despite their magnitude, the quakes weren't noticeable in the region, the spokesman said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the first quake at 6.6 magnitude centered 84 miles east-southeast of Hachinohe, Japan, and 364 miles north-northeast of Tokyo just after 7 a.m. local time, The Wall Street Journal reported. Three lighter quakes measured at 6.2, 5.2 and 5.5 magnitude followed, the U.S. newspaper said. The quakes occurred at a depth of 12.6 miles, the USGS said. No property damage or injuries were reported.
