In the afternoon of Saturday December 6th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 159 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 107 kilometers (66 mi) off the coast of Russia, 159 kilometer east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 22 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 6, 2025 14:10 (Kamchatka Time) - Dec 6, 2025 02:10 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 159 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°30'42"N 160°48'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 111 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 . |
| Depth: | 22 km (14 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 . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 159 kilometer (99 mi) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 159 km (99 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 169 km (105 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 180 km (112 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 8 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.8 was detected 27 km (17 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 14 hrs 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 |
14 hrs earlier Dec 6, 2025 00:03 (Kamchatka Time) | 41 km (25 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Dec 6, 2025 14:10 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
8 hrs later Dec 6, 2025 22:31 (Kamchatka Time) | 27 km (17 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
9 hrs later Dec 6, 2025 23:12 (Kamchatka Time) | 58 km (36 mi) N 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 November 14th, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 283 km (176 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 252 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 14 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 22 km (14 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/12/25 05:38 (). 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 us6000rsv5
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251206_0000035
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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