In the evening of Monday January 26th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 177 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 148 kilometers (92 mi) off the coast of Russia, 177 kilometer south-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 26, 2026 22:21 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 26, 2026 10:21 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 177 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°46'0"N 160°8'11"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 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 Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka, Russia. Vilyuchinsk is located 175 kilometer (109 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 175 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 177 km (110 mi) NW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 198 km (123 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 14 hrs later 70 km (43 mi) southwest of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 6 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
6 hrs earlier Jan 26, 2026 16:43 (Kamchatka Time) | 1.6 km (1 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 26, 2026 22:21 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
14 hrs later Jan 27, 2026 12:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 96 km (60 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
14 hrs later Jan 27, 2026 12:49 (Kamchatka Time) | 70 km (43 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 January 22nd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 109 km (68 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 282 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 13 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 5.1. 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 27/01/26 09:08 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rs3j
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260126_0000176
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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