A significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 158 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the early morning of Wednesday January 7th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 139 kilometers (86 mi) off the coast of Russia, 158 kilometer south-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 42 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 7, 2026 06:18 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 6, 2026 18:18 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 158 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°51'40"N 159°51'35"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| Depth: | 42 km (26 mi) A quite 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 . Located 155 kilometer (96 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 155 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 158 km (98 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 178 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
3 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 79 km (49 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5
In the days before this main shock, 6 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
3 days earlier Jan 4, 2026 13:41 (Kamchatka Time) | 75 km (47 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
2 days earlier Jan 4, 2026 20:24 (Kamchatka Time) | 95 km (59 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
2 days earlier Jan 4, 2026 23:01 (Kamchatka Time) | 31 km (19 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
2 days earlier Jan 4, 2026 23:36 (Kamchatka Time) | 80 km (50 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
2 days earlier Jan 5, 2026 05:55 (Kamchatka Time) | 39 km (24 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
2 days earlier Jan 5, 2026 14:11 (Kamchatka Time) | 46 km (28 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Jan 7, 2026 06:18 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
7 mins later Jan 7, 2026 06:25 (Kamchatka Time) | 33 km (21 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 day later Jan 8, 2026 09:47 (Kamchatka Time) | 57 km (35 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 day later Jan 8, 2026 12:22 (Kamchatka Time) | 79 km (49 mi) SW 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 December 18th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 123 km (77 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 198 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 18 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 42 km (26 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/01/26 05:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rmzf
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260106_0000348
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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