Shallow M5.3 FORESHOCK struck on Monday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 176km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 15th, 2025. Last updated January 7th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 176 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 foreshock occurred in the evening of Monday December 15th, 2025. Roughly 260 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 138 kilometers (86 mi) off the coast of Russia, 176 kilometer south-east 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:	Dec 15, 2025 20:11 (Kamchatka Time) - Dec 15, 2025 08:11 Universal Time.
Location:	176 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°53'47"N 160°22'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 260 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 260 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 24,770 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 230 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and 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
231,200	II	Very weak	None
24,770	III	Weak	Probably none
0	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 176 kilometer (109 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly II. That level implies very weak shaking and no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	II Weak
176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) NW from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is III.

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.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.7 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

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 This Earthquake	M 5.3	11 hrs earlier Dec 15, 2025 20:11 (Kamchatka Time)	58 km (36 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock	M 5.7	Dec 16, 2025 07:33 (Kamchatka Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	7 hrs later Dec 16, 2025 14:11 (Kamchatka Time)	51 km (32 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	9 hrs later Dec 16, 2025 16:25 (Kamchatka Time)	29 km (18 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	3 days later Dec 18, 2025 23:19 (Kamchatka Time)	96 km (60 mi) WSW 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.

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 November 25th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 61 km (38 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 184 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 20 days.

Low tsunami risk

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.

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 5.3. 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 07/01/26 11:18 (). 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.