Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia on Friday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 17th, 2025. Last updated November 9th, 2025.

Under land 83 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia, a significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Friday October 17th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 270 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Russia, 83 kilometer (52 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 64 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 17, 2025 13:25 (Kamchatka Time) - Oct 17, 2025 01:25 Universal Time.
Location:	83 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 53°10'52"N 159°51'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 756 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.021 .
Depth:	64 km (40 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

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 19,270 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 250 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Russia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
60	II	Very weak	None
245,800	III	Weak	Probably none
19,270	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Russia . Located 83 kilometer (52 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
83 km (52 mi) W from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
98 km (61 mi) W from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
101 km (63 mi) WSW from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 14 km (8 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6

Before this earthquake struck, 5 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.8	3 days earlier Oct 14, 2025 15:47 (Kamchatka Time)	71 km (44 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.4	3 days earlier Oct 14, 2025 21:27 (Kamchatka Time)	58 km (36 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	2 days earlier Oct 15, 2025 04:12 (Kamchatka Time)	98 km (61 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	2 days earlier Oct 15, 2025 12:26 (Kamchatka Time)	73 km (45 mi) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	2 days earlier Oct 15, 2025 15:37 (Kamchatka Time)	34 km (21 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Oct 17, 2025 13:25 (Kamchatka Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	5 hrs later Oct 17, 2025 18:26 (Kamchatka Time)	14 km (8 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	17 hrs later Oct 18, 2025 05:57 (Kamchatka Time)	34 km (21 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	3 days later Oct 20, 2025 12:56 (Kamchatka Time)	39 km (24 mi) SSE 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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 11th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 17 km (11 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 115 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 month.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 64 km (40 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 09/11/25 03:58 (). 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.