May 17, 1841 Tsunami: Kamchatka, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.4 earthquake began at Kamchatka, Russia on May 17, 1841 at 21:30 UTC. The water rose as high as 15 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 2 countries.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- May 17, 1841, 21:30 UTC
- Source
- Kamchatka, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.4, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 15 m (49.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3.9
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 52.000° N, 158.000° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The tsunami of 1841 is the first which is known to have reached the Hawaiian Islands from Kamchatka.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka | Russia | 121 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Halaktyrka, Kamchatka | Russia | 124 | 15 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Ostrovnoye, Kamchatka | Russia | 175 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 5,088 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 18, 03:54 | ||
| Hakaaano, Molokai, HI, HI | United States | 5,166 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Lahaina, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 5,199 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,402 | 4.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1841The 1800sTsunamis of RussiaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 723.