Earthquake.now

M6.9 Earthquake near Ozernovskiy, Russia — 16 October 2026

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 was recorded near Ozernovskiy, Russia on , with an epicentre 76 km northeast of Ozernovskiy, at a focal depth of 143.2 km. It ranked as the 2nd strongest of 48 earthquakes recorded in Russia in the preceding 30 days.

6.9 Strong

Time (UTC): 2026-10-16 03:35:32

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.9 (strong)

Focal depth: 143.2 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 52.0066, 157.2500

Location: 76 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia

Country: Russia

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake radiates roughly 337,605 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 732, which meets the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 14:04 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 97% of the 1,954 earthquakes recorded in Russia in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 52.0066, 157.2500 — 76 km northeast of Ozernovskiy. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 23 km east of here on 09 October 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Paratunka (81 km north), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (151 km east-northeast), Vilyuchinsk (157 km east-southeast) and Ozernovskiy (189 km southeast).

Why the 143 km depth matters

At 143 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because its 143 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

392 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.0 event near Severo-Kuril’sk on 03 August 2025. This M6.9 event released about 1.4 times less energy than that event.

9 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 3 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the October 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Russia during October 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Russia

All recorded earthquakes in Russia →

Other magnitude 6 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 6 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Ozernovskiy?

It measured magnitude 6.9 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake radiates roughly 337,605 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Ozernovskiy?

The focus was 143 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Ozernovskiy earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.9 and a focal depth of 143 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Ozernovskiy happen?

16 October 2026 at 03:35 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Ozernovskiy?

392 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.0 event near Severo-Kuril’sk on 03 August 2025. This M6.9 event released about 1.4 times less energy than that event.