official data (USGS event us6000u2mq; NOAA NTWC and PTWC information statements)
An M6.9 quake struck 135 km beneath Kamchatka, too deep for a tsunami
EARTHQUAKE // KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
6.9magnitude
135 km deep, PAGER Green; NOAA tsunami centers: a tsunami was not expected (USGS, NTWC, PTWC)
Southern Kamchatka shook hard late Thursday ET, but the energy came from deep. USGS puts the M6.9 at 135 km down, and NOAA's warning centers said a tsunami was not expected.
Key facts
- Magnitude
- M6.9 (Mww), USGS
- Time
- 03:35:31 UTC Oct 16, 2026 (11:35 PM EDT Thu Oct 15)
- Location and depth
- 51.985N 157.270E, 76 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia; 135 km deep (USGS)
- PAGER
- Green (USGS)
- Tsunami
- Information statements only. NTWC: no tsunami danger for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia or Alaska; based on depth, a tsunami is not expected. PTWC: no tsunami threat to Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan. Both used a preliminary M7.0
Based on the depth of the earthquake, a tsunami is not expected.
NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center, Oct 16
Note
At 03:35 UTC on Friday, October 16, which was 11:35 PM EDT Thursday, an earthquake USGS now rates at M6.9 struck beneath southern Kamchatka, 76 km northeast of Ozernovskiy, at 51.985 North, 157.270 East. USGS puts the depth at 135 km, far below the seafloor, and its PAGER impact estimate is Green, the lowest level. Within 12 minutes, NOAA's two tsunami warning centers issued information statements using a preliminary magnitude of 7.0. The National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska said there is no tsunami danger for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia or Alaska and that, based on the depth, a tsunami is not expected. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said there is no tsunami threat to Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan and that no action is required. Deep quakes shake wide and lift little water. This one did what deep quakes do.
Why it matters
Kamchatka sits on one of the most active subduction zones on Earth, and this M6.9 is a reminder of it, though its depth of 135 km kept the tsunami threat off the table.
Sources
- USGS: M 6.9, 76 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia (us6000u2mq)
- NOAA NTWC Tsunami Information Statement
- NOAA PTWC Tsunami Information Statement 1 (Guam/CNMI)
- Hero data: USGS event us6000u2mq
Primary + secondary attribution as listed.
More: Earthquakes
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