A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 267 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the late afternoon of Friday May 1st, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 28 kilometers (17 mi) off the coast of Russia, 267 kilometer southwest of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 76 km.
| Date and Time: | May 1, 2026 16:03 (Kamchatka Time) - May 1, 2026 04:03 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 267 km SW of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 50°51'32"N 157°5'21"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 536 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.025 . |
| Depth: | 76 km (47 mi) An intermediate 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 247 kilometer (153 mi) south of Vilyuchinsk.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 247 km (153 mi) N from epicenter |
Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NE from epicenter |
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia. |
| 274 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 April 25th, 2026, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 230 km (143 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.
In total, 241 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 15 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 76 km (47 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 01/05/26 12:48 (). 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 us7000shh1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260501_0000053
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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