In the evening of Friday April 24th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 foreshock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 167 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 120 kilometers (74 mi) off the coast of Russia, 167 kilometer 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: | Apr 24, 2026 20:59 (Kamchatka Time) - Apr 24, 2026 08:59 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 167 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°55'23"N 161°6'42"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| 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 167 kilometer (104 mi) east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 167 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 181 km (112 mi) W from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) W from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.4 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
3 days earlier Apr 22, 2026 02:56 (Kamchatka Time) | 77 km (48 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
1 hr earlier Apr 24, 2026 20:59 (Kamchatka Time) | 11 km (7 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
Apr 24, 2026 22:04 (Kamchatka Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.3 |
3 hrs later Apr 25, 2026 00:49 (Kamchatka Time) | 16 km (10 mi) S 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.
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 183 km (114 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 176 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 21 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 5.3. 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 24/04/26 13:08 (). 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 us6000ssik
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260424_0000155
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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