In the North Pacific Ocean 180 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Sunday March 22nd, 2026.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 136 kilometers (84 mi) off the coast of Russia, 180 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 22, 2026 19:19 (Kamchatka Time) - Mar 22, 2026 07:19 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 180 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°9'30"N 160°49'51"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 190 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.041 . |
| 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 . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 180 kilometer (112 mi) south-east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 180 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 201 km (125 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
5 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 5 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 4 km (2.4 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 24 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5
Before this earthquake struck, 6 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 20 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.9
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
4 days earlier Mar 21, 2026 13:28 (Kamchatka Time) | 57 km (35 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
4 days earlier Mar 21, 2026 13:28 (Kamchatka Time) | 43 km (26 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
3 days earlier Mar 22, 2026 20:07 (Kamchatka Time) | 24 km (15 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
3 days earlier Mar 22, 2026 20:14 (Kamchatka Time) | 16 km (10 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
3 days earlier Mar 22, 2026 20:17 (Kamchatka Time) | 21 km (13 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
20 hrs earlier Mar 24, 2026 14:23 (Kamchatka Time) | 98 km (61 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 4.9 |
Mar 25, 2026 10:35 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
13 hrs later Mar 25, 2026 23:48 (Kamchatka Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
17 hrs later Mar 26, 2026 03:42 (Kamchatka Time) | 12 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
24 hrs later Mar 26, 2026 10:25 (Kamchatka Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
3 days later Mar 28, 2026 04:45 (Kamchatka Time) | 24 km (15 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
3 days later Mar 28, 2026 04:47 (Kamchatka Time) | 13 km (8 mi) S 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.
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 March 8th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 114 km (71 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 260 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 14 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 08:28 (). 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 us6000sie4
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260322_0000106
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
