February 9, 2026. Corresponding Member of RAS Anatoly Soloviev, Director of the Geophysical Center RAS, told the Science channel about the most significant event of 2025 in Russian geophysics, which has provided new data on natural processes.

"The most significant event for Russian geophysics in 2025 was the Kamchatka earthquake that occurred on July 29. With a magnitude of 8.8, it was the strongest in the region since 1952 and the second strongest worldwide after the famous earthquake in Japan in 2011. Despite its magnitude, the damage was relatively small.

Such moderate consequences were the result not only of the well-organized work of all emergency services, the regional branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but also of the extensive preliminary work on the seismic reinforcement of major buildings in Kamchatka. This project was actively supported by Academician of RAS Sergey Fedotov and was successfully implemented, allowing the region to avoid the significant damage and casualties seen, for example, as a result of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria in 2023, even though that eartquake’s magnitude was lower.

In addition to the direct tremors and a small tsunami wave, the earthquake led to an increase in the activity of a group of Kamchatka volcanoes. All this has become an important source of valuable scientific data for the Russian and international geophysical community. The data obtained will allow us to refine our knowledge of the region. In the coming years, Russian and foreign scientists will prepare many papers on this seismic event. The Russian Journal of Earth Sciences is currently preparing a special issue dedicated to the earthquake."

Corresponding Member of RAS Anatoly Soloviev, Director of the Geophysical Center RAS.