A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 189 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the late afternoon of Wednesday October 15th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 166 kilometers (103 mi) off the coast of Russia, 189 kilometer south-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 15, 2025 17:57 (Kamchatka Time) - Oct 15, 2025 05:57 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 189 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°31'39"N 159°49'51"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 104 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 . Located 184 kilometer (114 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 184 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 189 km (117 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 209 km (130 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
6 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 6 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 39 km (24 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6
In the days before this main shock, 8 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
2 days earlier Oct 13, 2025 06:10 (Kamchatka Time) | 93 km (58 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
2 days earlier Oct 13, 2025 13:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 29 km (18 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
2 days earlier Oct 13, 2025 13:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 46 km (28 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
2 days earlier Oct 13, 2025 18:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 34 km (21 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
2 days earlier Oct 14, 2025 04:27 (Kamchatka Time) | 20 km (12 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
15 hrs earlier Oct 15, 2025 03:17 (Kamchatka Time) | 14 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
10 hrs earlier Oct 15, 2025 07:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 54 km (34 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
4 hrs earlier Oct 15, 2025 13:38 (Kamchatka Time) | 50 km (31 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Oct 15, 2025 17:57 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
4 hrs later Oct 15, 2025 22:26 (Kamchatka Time) | 40 km (25 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
15 hrs later Oct 16, 2025 09:14 (Kamchatka Time) | 40 km (25 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
20 hrs later Oct 16, 2025 14:22 (Kamchatka Time) | 32 km (20 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
22 hrs later Oct 16, 2025 15:34 (Kamchatka Time) | 89 km (55 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 days later Oct 17, 2025 06:18 (Kamchatka Time) | 92 km (57 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 days later Oct 17, 2025 08:29 (Kamchatka Time) | 39 km (24 mi) S from Main Shock. |
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
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 11th, 2025, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 260 km (161 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 182 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 20 days.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 09/11/25 09:18 (). 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 us6000rh8c
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251015_0000089
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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