In the evening of Wednesday January 28th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 185 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 115 kilometers (71 mi) off the coast of Russia, 185 kilometer south-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 38 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 28, 2026 21:14 (Kamchatka Time) - Jan 28, 2026 09:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 185 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°26'11"N 159°10'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 105 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 . |
| Depth: | 38 km (23 mi) A quite 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 174 kilometer (108 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 174 km (108 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 202 km (126 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 11 hrs later 56 km (35 mi) east of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 50 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.1
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier Jan 26, 2026 16:43 (Kamchatka Time) | 75 km (46 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
2 days earlier Jan 26, 2026 22:21 (Kamchatka Time) | 76 km (47 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 55 km (34 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 27, 2026 12:49 (Kamchatka Time) | 13 km (8 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
1 hr earlier Jan 28, 2026 19:57 (Kamchatka Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
50 mins earlier Jan 28, 2026 20:24 (Kamchatka Time) | 67 km (42 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Jan 28, 2026 21:14 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
11 hrs later Jan 29, 2026 08:31 (Kamchatka Time) | 56 km (35 mi) E 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 January 22nd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 58 km (36 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 205 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 18 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 38 km (23 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 29/01/26 06:48 (). 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 us6000s4yu
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260128_0000158
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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