M8.8 Earthquake near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake — July 29, 2025
2025-07-29 23:24:52 UTC (2025-07-29) · approx. 10:24 AM UTC+11 local
Felt by 125 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.5 (violent).
On July 29, 2025 at 23:24 UTC, a magnitude 8.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake, at a depth of 35.0 km and coordinates 52.4948°, 160.2395°. The earthquake was reported felt by 125 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 251 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2114, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Severo-Kuril'sk (population 2,422).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239.0 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 711 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Russia, a region characterized by the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone on the northwestern Pacific Ring of Fire. The nearest mapped fault system is the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. View all earthquakes in Russia.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 8.5 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 125 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 1,764 |
| MMI 4 | light | 9,758 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 13,519 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 5,957 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 214,211 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 56,344 |
| MMI 9 | violent | 1,802 |
Earthquake Details
160.2395°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 8.8 earthquake near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake?
The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake on July 29, 2025 at 23:24 UTC had a depth of 35.0 km. It was felt by 125 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 52.4948°, 160.2395°, which is near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake. The nearest populated place is Severo-Kuril'sk (population 2,422). View all earthquakes in Russia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 8.8 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Has Russia had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Russia was the M9.0 Kamchatka earthquake of November 4, 1952. Today's magnitude 8.8 event is within one magnitude unit of that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000qw60). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, July 29, 2025). M8.8 Earthquake near 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake — July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000qw60/