In the evening of Sunday March 22nd, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 175 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 129 kilometers (80 mi) off the coast of Russia, 175 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: | 175 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°12'56"N 160°48'24"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 230 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 . |
| 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 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located 175 kilometer (109 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 175 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 181 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
6 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 6 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days later 7 km (5 mi) northwest of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
1 day earlier Mar 21, 2026 13:28 (Kamchatka Time) | 68 km (42 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
1 day earlier Mar 21, 2026 13:28 (Kamchatka Time) | 46 km (29 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Mar 22, 2026 19:19 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
4 mins later Mar 22, 2026 19:23 (Kamchatka Time) | 6 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
47 mins later Mar 22, 2026 20:07 (Kamchatka Time) | 17 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
55 mins later Mar 22, 2026 20:14 (Kamchatka Time) | 23 km (14 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
57 mins later Mar 22, 2026 20:17 (Kamchatka Time) | 17 km (10 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
2 days later Mar 24, 2026 08:37 (Kamchatka Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
3 days later Mar 25, 2026 10:35 (Kamchatka Time) | 7 km (5 mi) NW 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.
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 March 8th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 115 km (72 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 180 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 20 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/04/26 02:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- 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
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