On Tuesday Morning a Significant M5.7 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 228km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia).

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

In the morning of Tuesday December 16th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 228 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 230 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 197 kilometers (122 mi) off the coast of Russia, 228 kilometer south-east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 16, 2025 07:33 (Kamchatka Time) - Dec 15, 2025 19:33 Universal Time.
Location:	228 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°44'10"N 161°10'51"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 38 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite 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 230 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 230 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 228,100 people were exposed to level III. At this level, 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
680	II	Very weak	None
228,100	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 228 kilometer (142 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 III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
228 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
231 km (144 mi) NW from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
249 km (155 mi) NW from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.

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 IV.

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 96 km (60 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 11 hrs earlier nearby.

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 5.3	11 hrs earlier Dec 15, 2025 20:11 (Kamchatka Time)	58 km (36 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	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.

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 November 4th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 80 km (50 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 53 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 2 months.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 34 km (21 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 07/01/26 22:18 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.