In the North Pacific Ocean 96 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a significant M5.1 earthquake occurred in the morning of Monday December 16th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Russia (9 mi offshore), 96 kilometer east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 49 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 16, 2024 09:42 (Kamchatka Time) - Dec 15, 2024 21:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 96 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°57'59"N 160°3'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 298 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 . |
| Depth: | 49 km (30 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Russia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located 96 kilometer (60 mi) east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 96 km (60 mi) W from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 111 km (69 mi) W from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 115 km (71 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 October 27th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 189 km (117 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on January 30th, 2016.
In total, 43 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 3 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 49 km (30 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/12/24 21:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nz5a
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241215_0000222
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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