DOGAMI Statement on the Kamchatka Earthquake and Tsunami
At 4:25 p.m. PDT on 29 July 2025, a large earthquake occurred under the Pacific Ocean off the Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Russia. This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8 (after a preliminary estimated magnitude of 8.0) and originated at a depth of 12.9 miles beneath the surface, approximately 75 miles SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. The event occurred within the "Ring of Fire" along the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc, one of the most seismically active subduction areas in the world. The earthquake was determined by the US Geological Survey to be a thrust event resulting in vertical deformation (uplift) of the sea floor, which produced a tsunami.
A tsunami bulletin was released by the Tsunami Warning Center (TWC) of the National Weather Service at 4:37 p.m. PDT. This was followed by a Tsunami Watch for the Oregon Coast at 5:21 p.m. which was later upgraded to a tsunami advisory at 6:29 p.m. Tsunami forecasts provided estimates of both wave arrival times and wave amplitudes. The advisory level has now been cancelled for the Oregon coast.
DOGAMI would like to recognize that the warning systems established by state and federal agencies functioned as expected, with initial and updated warnings released in a timely manner. Staff across DOGAMI and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) were monitoring data as it came in from across the Pacific. Because of the location of the event, there was ample warning time to alert Oregon communities so that people could take appropriate action. Even small tsunami can be destructive, thus DOGAMI continues to monitor the situation and will provide additional information if the situation changes.
The Kamchatka earthquake and resulting tsunami serve as a reminder that the Oregon coast is located close to a subduction zone and a megathrust earthquake could occur at any time. Residents and visitors should stay informed and be prepared! Register for the OR-Alert system here.
Blue Basin, Grant County, Oregon. Photo courtesy of Jason McClaughry