December 5, 1997 Earthquake: Ust-Kamchatsk, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Ust-Kamchatsk, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia on December 5, 1997 at 11:26:54 UTC, 33 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
- December 5, 1997
- Time
- 11:26:54 UTC
- Place
- Ust-Kamchatsk, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 54.841° N, 162.035° 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.
Felt (VII) in the epicentral area and (V) at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and Ust-Kamchatsk. Felt (II) at Severo-Kurilsk, Paramushir. Also felt aboard the cargo ship Stepan Krasheninnikov in the epicentral area. Tsunami generated with recorded waveheights (peak-to-trough) at the following selected tide stations: 15 cm on Adak and Unalaska, Alaska; 60 cm at Kahului, 52 cm at Haleiwa, 47 cm at Hilo, 30 cm at Hanalei, 12 cm on Midway, 10 cm at Snug Harbor and 5 cm at Honolulu, Hawaii. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 13, 1923, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- February 3, 1923, Kamchatka, Russia
- February 24, 1923, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
- December 2, 1790, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- August 22, 1792, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- November 4, 1737, Off Kamchatka, Russia
- January 27, 1949, Kamchatka, Russia
- August 17, 1983, Near East Coast of Kamchatka, Russia
- November 13, 1936, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- September 21, 1937, Kamchatka, Russia
- April 15, 1791, Kamchatka, Russia
- June 18, 1959, Near Kamchatka, Russia
- December 15, 1971, Off Kamchatka, Shemya, Attu, Russia
- December 28, 1927, Kamchatka, Russia
- July 31, 1915, Off Kamchatka, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent 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 5480.