Significant M5.8 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) on Tuesday Night.

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

A significant MAG-5.8 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 73 kilometer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia in the night of Tuesday August 18th, 2026. Around 260 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 22 kilometers (14 mi) off the coast of Russia, 73 kilometer east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 55 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 18, 2026 00:38 (Kamchatka Time) - Aug 17, 2026 12:38 Universal Time.
Location:	73 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia. Coordinates 53°1'26"N 159°42'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 53 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 .
Depth:	55 km (34 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 260 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 260 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.

An estimated 227,900 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely 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
0	II	Very weak	None
35,980	III	Weak	Probably none
227,900	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 . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, Russia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 73 kilometer (45 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The intensity of shaking and damage in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
73 km (45 mi) W from epicenter	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
88 km (55 mi) W from epicenter	Vilyuchinsk Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light
91 km (57 mi) W from epicenter	Yelizovo Kamchatka, Russia.	IV Light

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.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Russia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Petropavlovsk-Kamčatskij, Kamčatka, Russia: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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.

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 June 20th, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 87 km (54 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck on July 29th, 2025.

In total, 56 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 2 months.

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 5.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 55 km (34 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/08/26 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.