May 4, 1959 Tsunami: Kamchatka, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake began at Kamchatka, Russia on May 4, 1959 at 07:15:42 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 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 4, 1959, 07:15:42 UTC
- Source
- Kamchatka, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.2, 60 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 52.500° N, 159.500° 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.
May 4, 1959, at 07:15:42 UTC, depth 60 km, magnitude 8, 52.5 N, 159.5 E, one killed and 13 injured at Petropavlovsk. Buildings damaged at Petropavlovsk. The earthquake produced a small tsunami that was recorded on tide gauges in the Aleutian Islands and Hawaii. A maximum height of 1.4 feet was recorded at Kahului. (reference #45)
Reference #223 lists tsunami intensity 1.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attu, Massacre Bay, AK, AK | United States | 926 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 4, 08:58 | ||
| Midway Islands, HI | US Territories | 3,306 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 4,871 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 4, 13:10 | ||
| Mokuoloe-Coconut Is, Oahu, HI | United States | 5,013 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 5,019 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 4, 13:28 | ||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 5,141 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 4, 13:34 | ||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,332 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 4, 13:58 |
More
Every tsunami in 1959The 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 1890.