Significant M5.5 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 102km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) on Thursday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 21st, 2024. Last updated September 19th, 2024.

Around noon of Thursday August 22nd, 2024, a significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 102 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. Around 270 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 25 kilometers (16 mi) off the coast of Russia, 102 kilometer east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 30 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 22, 2024 11:30 (Kamchatka Time) - Aug 21, 2024 23:30 Universal Time.
Location:	102 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°52'57"N 160°7'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 .
Depth:	30 km (19 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 270 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 50,990 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 220 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Russia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Russia . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 102 kilometer (63 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

8 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 8 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 63 km (39 mi) east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 19 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 17th, 2024, when a 7 magnitude earthquake hit 6 km (4 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on January 30th, 2016.

In total, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 7 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 19/09/24 01:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000n8ki
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240821_0000286
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: