November 13, 1936 Tsunami: Kamchatka, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Kamchatka, Russia on November 13, 1936 at 12:31 UTC. The water rose as high as 13 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- November 13, 1936, 12:31 UTC
- Source
- Kamchatka, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3
- Maximum water height
- 13 m (42.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 55.200° N, 164.000° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On November 13, 1936 at 12 hrs. 31 min. UTC a strong (M = 7.25) earthquake occurred in the area of the Gulf of Kamchatka (55.2 N, 164 E), causing destruction at Cape Kamchatsky and Cape Africa and at Ust-Kamchatsk. At the very beginning of the earthquake in a storm wind, the swell suddenly rose; the height of the waves was 13 m. Toward morning the swell died down slightly and it ceased completely only on November 15. The phenomenon described cannot with complete confidence be considered, however, the possibility of the formation of a small tsunami by the earthquake is apparently not excluded. (reference #413)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ust'Kamchatsk, Kamchatka | Russia | 163 | 13 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1936The 1900sTsunamis 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 1696.