A magnitude 8.2 earthquake caused a tsunami that killed more than 5,200 people on Dec. 30, 1703, according to NOAA data. The event occurred off the southwest Boso Peninsula, which is just south of Tokyo, Japan.

Past strong earthquakes have caused massive and damaging waves far away, but scientists say these tsunami waves were tame by comparison across the Pacific basin.

An Oregon geophysicist noted that, while Wednesday's quake was big, it wasn't "really, really, really big," and that might have made the difference.

This is the terrifying moment massive waves hit the ocean in the Philippines after a powerful earthquake in Russia triggered a tsunami warning. The magnitude 8.8 quake struck off the eastern coast of Kamchatka at 11:25 am local time (UTC+12) on Wednesday,

MANILA, Philippines – Coastal areas in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to have tsunami waves less than 1 meter high after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia on Wednesday, July 30.

The Philippines is safe from the threat of tsunami after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off Russia's far east coast on Wednesday, the Phivolcs said.

Officials from Japan to California issued warnings after an 8.8-magnitude quake off Russia’s coast. Hours later, there were no immediate reports of major damage, although some areas remained on alert.

The earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia late Tuesday registered 8.8 on the Richter scale and ensuing tsunami has raised concerns that the Pentagon could be caught unawares by a natural disaster in a region where thousands of U.

A massive earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula sent tsunami waves in the paths of millions of people in countries across the Pacific on Wednesday. From Japan, China and the Philippines to Hawaii,