© G.N. Kopylova

Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Service Russian Academy of Science,
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006.

In 1997-2005 the digital recording of water level in two wells (E1 and UZ-5, Kamchatka) was conducted by EMSD GS RAS for the purposes of seismic monitoring and earthquakes precursors searching. The collection system, water-level data processing and revealed water level changes due to earthquakes are described in this paper. There is presentation of the processing technique for quantitative estimation of seismotectonic strain based on the evaluation of static confined water level response and tidal sensitivity of water level changes. The hydrogeodynamic precursor of the 5th December 1997 Kronotskoe earthquake, M=7.9 developed in both wells during three weeks in the form of synchronous water-level decreases with amplitudes 11 cm and 1 cm, due to extension with the amount about 1x10-7.