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Last updated 27 Mar 2026

Russian Federation: The 2025 Kamchatka earthquake and tsunami

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Aerial view of the Three Brothers rock formation in Kamchatka, rising from the Pacific Ocean bay at Russian Far East.
artaxerxes_longhand/Shutterstock

Introduction

On the 29th of July, at 23:24:52 UTC, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the country's far east. The earthquake originated at a depth of roughly 20 kilometres, placing the powerful earthquake among the ten strongest in recorded history, and the largest worldwide since 2011.

The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations in countries around much of the Pacific, including in east Asia, North and South America. Notably, these were raised Russia, Japan and Hawaii. Over 1.9 million people were evacuated in Japan, including those at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Many of these warnings were downgraded over time, however, as for the size of the earthquake, the tsunami was smaller than expected. Kamchatka was worst affected, with coastal towns being hit by waves up to four metres high, causing severe damage in some areas.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami-response has been heralded as a success of early warning systems (EWS), protecting at-risk populations through evacuation and alerts. 

Knowledge base

Southeast coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. View from a helicopter.
Research briefs
New satellite’s observations close blind spot in tsunami science

A new satellite, SWOT, captured detailed tsunami wave patterns after the 2025 Kamchatka quake, revealing near‑trench slip and improving scientists’ ability to model tsunami generation and strengthen coastal hazard preparedness.

University of California, San Diego
Artist rendition of the NISAR satellite
Update
See NASA’s GUARDIAN catch a tsunami

A data visualization technique illustrates how an experimental NASA technology can provide extra lead time to communities in the path of a tsunami.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Research briefs
Unraveling the physics behind Kamchatka's 73-Year earthquake cycle

A research team from University of Tsukuba and collaborating institutions has clarified why M9-class megathrust earthquakes recur off the Kamchatka Peninsula with an unusually short cycle of 73 years.

University of Tsukuba
Research briefs
Studying tsunamis with GPS satellites

On 30 July, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a tsunami that spread across the Pacific Ocean. It turns out that GPS error correction -the thing that helps your car know where to go- can help detect tsunamis.

Particle (Scitech)
Aerial drone view of a moody atlantic ocean wave on a black sand beach during summer in Iceland
Update
NASA’s GUARDIAN tsunami detection tech catches wave in real time

A massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami off Russia in late July tested an experimental detection system that had deployed a critical component just the day before.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Hand stopping wooden blocks from falling on a house
Update
2025 Kamchatka tsunami triggered rapid insurance payout in the South Pacific

Just 10 days after the Kamchatka tsunami hit its shores, the island nation of Samoa received a payout from the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC), a regional development insurer.

Temblor
Update
US-French SWOT satellite measures tsunami after massive quake

Data provided by the water satellite, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency, is helping to improve tsunami forecast models, benefitting coastal communities.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
California Institute of Technology
Update
The 2025 Kamchatka tsunami and the power of preparedness

Coordinated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC), the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWS) is a network of 46 member States across the Pacific, supported by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP)
Research briefs
Tsunami warning puts focus on Waikīkī evacuation plan modeled by UH

A tsunami warning that sparked mass evacuations and traffic gridlock in many areas across the state, including Waikīkī, is drawing renewed attention to a 2022 University of Hawaiʻi study that modeled how to save lives during a short-notice tsunami event.

University of Hawai'i
Update
The Soviet Union’s secret tsunami

July 2025 wasn't the first time a huge tsunami had hit Kamchatka. In 1952, an even more powerful earthquake hit the same fault line - but it was kept hidden from the world.

Conversation Media Group, the