A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29, 2025, at 7:24 p.m. ET, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuations across the Pacific region. The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake at 8.0 but later upgraded it to 8.8, tying it as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded.
The quake’s epicenter was located 126 kilometers east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of around 165,000 people. It struck at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers, making its effects more severe. The Kamchatka region recorded tsunami waves between 3 to 4 meters, leading to evacuations in coastal areas such as Severo-Kurilsk on Sakhalin Island.
Japan issued tsunami warnings for waves up to 3 meters along its Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and several areas were evacuated. In Hawaii, authorities sounded sirens and ordered evacuations as waves between 1 to 3 meters were expected to reach the islands around 7:17 p.m. local time.
The earthquake also triggered tsunami advisories for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and the U.S. West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. In Crescent City, California, waves of up to 1.7 meters were possible. Alerts were also issued in Guam, Chile, Ecuador, and parts of Micronesia. Chile and Ecuador were warned to expect waves of over 3 meters.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, roads cracked, debris fell, and a kindergarten was damaged. Several people were treated for minor injuries, many hurt while fleeing or jumping from buildings. No deaths have been confirmed. A strong aftershock measuring 6.9 also hit the area.
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said it was the strongest earthquake the region has experienced in decades. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center urged all coastal residents in affected areas to move to higher ground. Scientists said the quake occurred along the Pacific-Okhotsk plate boundary, part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.
