Historical tsunamis · Mar 20, 1960, 5:07 PM UTC
1960 Sanriku tsunami
Japan
The tsunami of Mar 20, 1960, 5:07 PM UTC originated near Sanriku (Japan).
Key facts
- Date
- Mar 20, 1960, 5:07 PM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M7.5
- Depth
- 20 km
- Maximum documented water height
- 1.00 m
- Damage
- limited (under US$ 1 million)
- Observation records
- 19
- Countries affected
- 1
It was triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake at a depth of 20 km.
The highest documented water height was 1.00 m (Onagawa, Japan).
19 observation sites in 1 countries are recorded.
Damage is estimated at limited (under US$ 1 million).
Map of observation sites
19Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.
Tsunami arrival times
Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.
- 0:00 hEarthquake (origin) · Mar 20, 1960, 5:07 PM UTC
- 0:22 hJapan · Miyako · 0.17 m
12 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 19 | 1.00 m Onagawa | — | 0:22 h |
Highest documented water heights
15 / 19Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.
| Location / station | Observed height | Distance from source | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onagawa · Miyagi | 1.00 m | 227 km | Japan |
| Ryoishi · Iwate | 0.63 m | 140 km | Japan |
| Taro (Tarocho) · Iwate | 0.50 m | 122 km | Japan |
| Hachinohe · Aomori | 0.41 m | 179 km | Japan |
| Omoto · Iwate | 0.40 m | 121 km | Japan |
| Otsuchi · Iwate | 0.40 m | 137 km | Japan |
| Orikasa · Iwate | 0.30 m | 129 km | Japan |
| Tsugaruishi · Iwate | 0.30 m | 127 km | Japan |
| Onahama · Fukushima | 0.26 m | 386 km | Japan |
| Ayukawa · Miyagi | 0.21 m | 234 km | Japan |
| Urakawa · Hokkaido | 0.20 m | 268 km | Japan |
| Hakodate · Hokkaido | 0.17 m | 310 km | Japan |
| Miyako · Iwate | 0.17 m | 123 km | Japan |
| Kamaishi · Iwate | 0.15 m | 143 km | Japan |
| Kushiro · Hokkaido | 0.10 m | 362 km | Japan |
More tsunamis
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.