Strong M6.2 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 143km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 22nd, 2026. Last updated January 26th, 2026.

A strong M6.2 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 143 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the night of Friday January 23rd, 2026. Around 270 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 35 kilometers (22 mi) off the coast of Russia, 143 kilometer south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 52 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 23, 2026 00:42 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 22, 2026 12:42 Universal Time.
Location:	143 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°46'46"N 158°33'8"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 69 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	52 km (32 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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 0 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 200 thousand) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is 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
64,950	III	Weak	Probably none
201,400	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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka, Russia. Vilyuchinsk is located 128 kilometer (80 mi) south of the epicenter. Vilyuchinsk experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
128 km (80 mi) N from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
143 km (89 mi) N from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
157 km (98 mi) N 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.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 14 hrs later 8 km (5 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

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 4.5	2 days earlier Jan 20, 2026 14:56 (Kamchatka Time)	98 km (61 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.2	Jan 23, 2026 00:42 (Kamchatka Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.0	1 hr later Jan 23, 2026 01:58 (Kamchatka Time)	11 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	14 hrs later Jan 23, 2026 14:35 (Kamchatka Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE 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 September 18th, 2025, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit 211 km (131 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 13 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 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 9 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 6.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 52 km (32 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 26/01/26 12:28 (). 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.