In the North Pacific Ocean 295 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a shallow and significant M5.0 foreshock 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, 231 kilometers (143 mi) off the coast of Russia, 295 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: | 295 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 50°30'19"N 159°46'24"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 167 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 . |
| 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 . Located 286 kilometer (178 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 286 km (178 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 295 km (183 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.2 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
2 days earlier Jan 26, 2026 16:43 (Kamchatka Time) | 67 km (42 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
2 days earlier Jan 26, 2026 22:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 83 km (52 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 11:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 86 km (54 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 26 km (16 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 21 km (13 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:49 (Kamchatka Time) | 15 km (9 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 16:29 (Kamchatka Time) | 92 km (57 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
1 hr earlier Jan 28, 2026 19:57 (Kamchatka Time) | 7 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
50 mins earlier Jan 28, 2026 20:24 (Kamchatka Time) | 74 km (46 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.2 |
Jan 28, 2026 21:14 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
11 hrs later Jan 29, 2026 08:31 (Kamchatka Time) | 31 km (19 mi) ENE 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.
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 27th, 2026, when a 5 magnitude earthquake hit 107 km (66 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 571 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 6 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. 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 18/02/26 07:28 (). 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.
- 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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