Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Thursday Afternoon in the North Pacific Ocean 197km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 26th, 2026. Last updated April 11th, 2026.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.7 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 197 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the late afternoon of Thursday February 26th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 240 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 158 kilometers (98 mi) off the coast of Russia, 197 kilometer south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 26, 2026 16:59 (Kamchatka Time) - Feb 26, 2026 04:59 Universal Time.
Location:	197 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°24'30"N 159°39'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 240 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 240 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 220,600 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Russia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
16,790	II	Very weak	None
220,600	III	Weak	Probably none
0	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 . Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 190 kilometer (118 mi) south-east of Vilyuchinsk. Vilyuchinsk experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
190 km (118 mi) NW from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) N from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
216 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

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.

16 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 16 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 60 mins later 27 km (17 mi) west of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

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 4.3	3 days earlier Feb 24, 2026 01:38 (Kamchatka Time)	33 km (20 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	3 days earlier Feb 24, 2026 01:38 (Kamchatka Time)	61 km (38 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	3 days earlier Feb 24, 2026 03:53 (Kamchatka Time)	54 km (33 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.9	2 days earlier Feb 24, 2026 21:43 (Kamchatka Time)	79 km (49 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Feb 26, 2026 16:59 (Kamchatka Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.2	10 mins later Feb 26, 2026 17:09 (Kamchatka Time)	10 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	32 mins later Feb 26, 2026 17:30 (Kamchatka Time)	11 km (7 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	59 mins later Feb 26, 2026 17:57 (Kamchatka Time)	17 km (10 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	59 mins later Feb 26, 2026 17:57 (Kamchatka Time)	15 km (9 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	60 mins later Feb 26, 2026 17:58 (Kamchatka Time)	27 km (17 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	1 hr later Feb 26, 2026 18:07 (Kamchatka Time)	4 km (2.4 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	2 hrs later Feb 26, 2026 18:39 (Kamchatka Time)	35 km (22 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	8 hrs later Feb 27, 2026 00:38 (Kamchatka Time)	28 km (17 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	8 hrs later Feb 27, 2026 00:38 (Kamchatka Time)	8 km (5 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	14 hrs later Feb 27, 2026 06:56 (Kamchatka Time)	49 km (30 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	14 hrs later Feb 27, 2026 06:57 (Kamchatka Time)	31 km (19 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	15 hrs later Feb 27, 2026 08:01 (Kamchatka Time)	14 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	1 day later Feb 28, 2026 00:49 (Kamchatka Time)	19 km (12 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	1 day later Feb 28, 2026 00:49 (Kamchatka Time)	38 km (24 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	1 day later Feb 28, 2026 00:53 (Kamchatka Time)	5 km (2.9 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	2 days later Feb 28, 2026 10:44 (Kamchatka Time)	23 km (14 mi) N 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 February 16th, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 138 km (86 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 61 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 2 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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 11/04/26 10:38 (). 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.