In the late afternoon of Friday March 6th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.1 foreshock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 186 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 169 kilometers (105 mi) off the coast of Russia, 186 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: | Mar 6, 2026 17:00 (Kamchatka Time) - Mar 6, 2026 05:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 186 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°34'27"N 159°53'11"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 103 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 . |
| 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 181 kilometer (112 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 181 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Russia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Mohovaja, Kamčatka, Russia: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.9 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
3 days earlier Mar 6, 2026 17:00 (Kamchatka Time) | 35 km (22 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier Mar 7, 2026 16:13 (Kamchatka Time) | 63 km (39 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier Mar 7, 2026 16:13 (Kamchatka Time) | 23 km (14 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
1 day earlier Mar 7, 2026 18:19 (Kamchatka Time) | 29 km (18 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
1 day earlier Mar 7, 2026 18:19 (Kamchatka Time) | 22 km (14 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
1 day earlier Mar 7, 2026 19:36 (Kamchatka Time) | 5 km (2.9 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
1 day earlier Mar 7, 2026 20:41 (Kamchatka Time) | 95 km (59 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
21 hrs earlier Mar 8, 2026 08:34 (Kamchatka Time) | 75 km (46 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
2 hrs earlier Mar 9, 2026 02:45 (Kamchatka Time) | 12 km (8 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.9 |
Mar 9, 2026 05:08 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
7 mins later Mar 9, 2026 05:16 (Kamchatka Time) | 58 km (36 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
11 mins later Mar 9, 2026 05:19 (Kamchatka Time) | 34 km (21 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
15 mins later Mar 9, 2026 05:23 (Kamchatka Time) | 24 km (15 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
39 mins later Mar 9, 2026 05:47 (Kamchatka Time) | 68 km (42 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
47 mins later Mar 9, 2026 05:56 (Kamchatka Time) | 28 km (17 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 hr later Mar 9, 2026 06:23 (Kamchatka Time) | 23 km (14 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 06:41 (Kamchatka Time) | 21 km (13 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 06:41 (Kamchatka Time) | 52 km (32 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
2 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 06:43 (Kamchatka Time) | 42 km (26 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
2 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 07:06 (Kamchatka Time) | 4 km (2.7 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 07:20 (Kamchatka Time) | 89 km (55 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
3 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 07:54 (Kamchatka Time) | 9 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
14 hrs later Mar 9, 2026 19:06 (Kamchatka Time) | 40 km (25 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
23 hrs later Mar 10, 2026 03:57 (Kamchatka Time) | 34 km (21 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
23 hrs later Mar 10, 2026 04:37 (Kamchatka Time) | 23 km (14 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
1 day later Mar 10, 2026 13:51 (Kamchatka Time) | 26 km (16 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
2 days later Mar 10, 2026 23:47 (Kamchatka Time) | 43 km (27 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
3 days later Mar 12, 2026 01:32 (Kamchatka Time) | 61 km (38 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.
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 February 26th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 24 km (15 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 287 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 01/04/26 01:48 (). 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 us7000s2g3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260306_0000058
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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