Past seismic catastrophes were unknown in Sakhalin Island before 1995 except those suggested from findings of paleoseismodislocations. The first time that dwellers have experienced such a catastrophe in the Sakhalin Island history was on 27 May 1995. The devastating Neftegorsk earthquake occurred in Northern Sakhalin (ϕ= 52.8° north; δ= 143.2° east; H = 18 km; M s = 7.2), killed almost 2000 people in the small city of Neftegor...