Just before midnight of Saturday January 10th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.2 aftershock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 161 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 109 kilometers (68 mi) off the coast of Russia, 161 kilometer 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: | Jan 10, 2026 23:31 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 10, 2026 11:31 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 161 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°46'4"N 160°58'17"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located 161 kilometer (100 mi) east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 161 km (100 mi) W from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 173 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 180 km (112 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.5 earthquake struck 2.2 km (1.4 mi) north-east in advance of this 5.2 earthquake around 4 hrs earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
7 hrs earlier Jan 10, 2026 13:05 (Kamchatka Time) | 93 km (58 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.5 |
Jan 10, 2026 19:57 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
4 hrs later Jan 10, 2026 23:31 (Kamchatka Time) | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
7 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 02:38 (Kamchatka Time) | 24 km (15 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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. In total, 174 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 21 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/01/26 12:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rnvf
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260110_0000138
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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