In the North Pacific Ocean 300 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Tuesday January 27th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 236 kilometers (147 mi) off the coast of Russia, 300 kilometer south-southeast 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 27, 2026 16:29 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 27, 2026 04:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 300 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 50°28'18"N 159°48'45"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 274 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.034 . |
| 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 290 kilometer (180 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 290 km (180 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 4 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.9
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
4 hrs earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 61 km (38 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 27, 2026 16:29 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
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 26th, 2026, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 129 km (80 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 295 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 12 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 09:48 (). 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 us6000s4nn
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260127_0000076
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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