April 15, 1791 Earthquake: Kamchatka, Russia
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kamchatka, Russia on April 15, 1791, 20 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 15, 1791
- Place
- Kamchatka, Russia
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 56.000° N, 163.000° E
- Country
- Russia
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1791, April 15, 07:00 UTC. 56 N, 163 E, magnitude 6.8, intensity IX. Aftershocks felt April 15-17. (reference #223)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 13, 1923, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- December 15, 1971, Off Kamchatka, Shemya, Attu, Russia
- September 21, 1937, Kamchatka, Russia
- December 28, 1984, Kamchatka, Russia
- November 4, 1737, Off Kamchatka, Russia
- January 30, 1917, Kamchatka, Russia
- June 26, 2019, Off Kamchatka, Russia
- August 17, 1983, Near East Coast of Kamchatka, Russia
- November 13, 1936, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- February 24, 1923, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
- December 5, 1997, Ust-Kamchatsk, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia
- December 20, 2018, Off Kamchatka, Russia
- January 27, 1949, Kamchatka, Russia
- June 30, 1936, Komandorsky Island, Russia
- December 28, 1927, Kamchatka, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1791The 1700sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5930.