Another large earthquake has struck Asia, this time off of the eastern coast of that continent.

The 7.2 magnitude quake occurred 155 miles east-northeast of Kuril’sk, Russia yesterday, at a depth of 76 miles beneath the ocean floor. It occurred at 3:05 pm epicenter time.(7:05 am Alaska Time)

This recent quake came only three days after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred on the border of Iran and Pakistan causing several casualties.

This region off the coast of Asia is prone to moderate to large earthquakes and has seen at least 36 magnitude 6.5+ earthquakes in the last forty years, none of which have resulted in any earthquake related casualties.

This arc is considered one of the most seismically active regions of the world. This area marks the region where the Pacific Plate subducts into the mantle beneath the Okhotsk microplate, and is the reason for the formation of the Kuril Islands chain and its volcanoes.

The most recent megathrust earthquake in this area was the 8.3 magnitude event in 2006.