A significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 91 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia in the night of Monday January 27th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Russia, 91 kilometer (57 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 70 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 27, 2025 01:37 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 26, 2025 13:37 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 91 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 53°10'26"N 159°59'7"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 703 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.022 . |
| Depth: | 70 km (43 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 91 kilometer (57 mi) east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 91 km (57 mi) W from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 107 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 109 km (68 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 69 km (43 mi) south of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.8 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
3 days earlier Jan 24, 2025 03:04 (Kamchatka Time) | 19 km (12 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Jan 27, 2025 01:37 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
2 days later Jan 29, 2025 04:32 (Kamchatka Time) | 69 km (43 mi) S from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 September 30th, 2024, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 25 km (15 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on January 30th, 2016.
In total, 33 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 4 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (3 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 70 km (43 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/01/25 13:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pmfn
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250126_0000104
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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