Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck on Friday Night in the North Pacific Ocean near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 18th, 2025. Last updated January 7th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 72 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a significant Magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred in the night of Friday December 19th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 270 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 28 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of Russia, 72 kilometer east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 66 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 19, 2025 00:37 (Kamchatka Time) - Dec 18, 2025 12:37 Universal Time.
Location:	72 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°57'55"N 159°41'49"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 43 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 .
Depth:	66 km (41 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 40 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 260 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely 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
0	II	Very weak	None
9,670	III	Weak	Probably none
255,400	IV	Light	Likely none
40	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 . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 72 kilometer (45 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The intensity of shaking and damage in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
72 km (45 mi) W from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
87 km (54 mi) W from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
91 km (57 mi) WNW from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light

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 V.

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.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 18 km (11 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 11 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Dec 19, 2025 00:37 (Kamchatka Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	11 hrs later Dec 19, 2025 11:25 (Kamchatka Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNE 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 4th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 101 km (63 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 41 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 3 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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 66 km (41 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 07/01/26 14:38 (). 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.