The 1997 Kamchatka earthquake, or 1997 Kronotsky earthquake, occurred on December 5 at 11:26 UTC near the east coast of the

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and we ...

. It was an 7.7 (7.6–7.8) earthquake and was felt with intensity MM V in

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ( rus, Петропавловск-Камчатский, a=Петропавловск-Камчатский.ogg, p=pʲɪtrɐˈpavləfsk kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administr ...

. A 60 cm (23.6 in) tsunami was recorded in

Kahului Kahului () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. The population was 26,337 ...

, 47 cm (18.5 in.) in

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

, and 15 cm (6 in.) in

Unalaska Unalaska ( ale, Iluulux̂; russian: Уналашка) is the chief center of population in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska ...

. The local tsunami generated by this earthquake affected a mostly unpopulated region. A post-tsunami survey found runup (height above normal

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

) on the Kronotsky Peninsula was no more than a few meters. However, a later geological survey north of the peninsula, as well as an interview with a park ranger, indicate that runup was up to along the coast near the Little and Big Chazhma rivers and north to the Storozh River. Deformation during and after this earthquake was measured by GPS. There were significant foreshocks, and also an apparently independent rupture along the southern border of the primary rupture.Slavina, L.B., Pivovarova, N.B. and Levina, V.I., 2007. A study in the velocity structure of December 5, 1997, Mw = 7.8 Kronotskii rupture zone, Kamchatka: : J. Volcanology & Seismology, v. 1, p. 254–262.

References

External links

* {{Earthquakes in 1997

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and wes ...

Kamchatka Earthquake, 1997 1997 tsunamis December 1997 events in Russia Tsunami earthquakes Earthquakes in the Russian Far East