In the North Pacific Ocean 188 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock occurred in the early morning of Monday March 9th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 146 kilometers (91 mi) off the coast of Russia, 188 kilometer south 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 9, 2026 05:23 (Kamchatka Time) - Mar 8, 2026 17:23 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 188 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 51°28'16"N 159°34'8"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 174 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 . |
| 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 . Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 181 kilometer (112 mi) south-east of Vilyuchinsk.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 181 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 188 km (117 mi) N from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.9 earthquake struck 23 km (15 mi) northwest in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 15 mins earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | 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 This Earthquake |
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?
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.
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. In total, 292 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 31/03/26 20:08 (). 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 us7000s304
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260308_0000267
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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