Significant M5.4 Earthquake struck on Sunday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 262km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 17th, 2026. Last updated May 18th, 2026.

In the evening of Sunday May 17th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.4 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 262 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. Around 6 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 40 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Russia, 262 kilometer south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 44 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 17, 2026 20:04 (Kamchatka Time) - May 17, 2026 08:04 Universal Time.
Location:	262 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 50°51'30"N 157°17'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth:	44 km (27 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 6 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 6 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 2,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by of people (around 3 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
80	II	Very weak	None
2,880	III	Weak	Probably none
2,800	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 243 kilometer (151 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka, Russia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
243 km (151 mi) N from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.
262 km (163 mi) N from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.
270 km (168 mi) N from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.

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, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 3 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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 hrs earlier May 17, 2026 17:01 (Kamchatka Time)	69 km (43 mi) S from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	May 17, 2026 20:04 (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 19th, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 200 km (124 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 134 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 27 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 44 km (27 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/05/26 04:28 (). 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.