Nearly two dozen earthquakes have struck off the coast of Russia, near the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the last 24 hours, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quakes ranged in strength from 4.3 magnitude up to a 6.1 magnitude, which is considered a strong earthquake that could cause damage in populated areas.

Monday's earthquake comes after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan in August, resulting in the deaths of over 1100 people, according to the BBC.

Indonesia lies strategically between the Asian and Australian continents along the boundary of the Pacific Ocean. This area forms part of the well-known “Ring of Fire,” a major seismic zone responsible for around 90 percent of global earthquakes and nearly three-quarters of all volcanic eruptions.

Hemmed in by rugged mountains, Afghanistan is prone to a range of natural disasters, but its earthquakes cause the most fatalities, killing about 560 people on average each year and causing annual damages estimated at $80 million. Studies indicate at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5.0 have hit Afghanistan since 1990.

Survivors of a powerful earthquake in northern Afghanistan are digging through the rubble of their homes after spending a bitterly cold night outdoors.

Researchers are deliberately setting off real (small) earthquakes to understand how to gauge the danger of a fault line before it breaks.