Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 156km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) on Friday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 24th, 2026.

In the evening of Friday April 24th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.4 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 156 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. Roughly 260 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 102 kilometers (63 mi) off the coast of Russia, 156 kilometer east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 24, 2026 22:04 (Kamchatka Time) - Apr 24, 2026 10:04 Universal Time.
Location:	156 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 52°54'47"N 160°56'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 260 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 260 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 50 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 260 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Russia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
310	II	Very weak	None
255,200	III	Weak	Probably none
50	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Russia . Located 156 kilometer (97 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
156 km (97 mi) W from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
171 km (106 mi) W from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak
174 km (108 mi) W from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 hr earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
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	M 5.3	1 hr earlier Apr 24, 2026 20:59 (Kamchatka Time)	11 km (7 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Apr 24, 2026 22:04 (Kamchatka Time)	-

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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 8th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 176 km (109 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 128 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 29 days.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 24/04/26 12:38 (). 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.