Strong 6.8 quake shakes southwestern Siberia

WASHINGTON – A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 shook southwestern Siberia in Russia on Sunday, US researchers reported.

The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 13:17 p.m. local time (0617 GMT), was located 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the Russian city of Kyzyl, according to the US Geological Survey.

The depth of the epicenter was just 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.