Historical tsunamis · Oct 20, 1963, 12:53 AM UTC
1963 S. Kuril Islands tsunami
Russia
The tsunami of Oct 20, 1963, 12:53 AM UTC originated near S. Kuril Islands (Russia).
Key facts
- Date
- Oct 20, 1963, 12:53 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M7.9
- Depth
- 28 km
- Maximum documented water height
- 15.0 m
- Observation records
- 22
- Countries affected
- 7
It was triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake at a depth of 28 km.
The highest documented water height was 15.0 m (Urup Island, Cape Van Der Linda, Russia).
22 observation sites in 7 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at Midway Islands (USA Territory) after 4:36 h.
Map of observation sites
22Each 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) · Oct 20, 1963, 12:53 AM UTC
- 4:36 hUSA Territory · Midway Islands · 0.20 m
- 5:12 hMicronesia, Fed. States Of · Truk Islands, Caroline Islands · 0.10 m
- 6:24 hMarshall Islands, Rep. Of · Kwajalein, Marshall Islands · 0.10 m
- 7:06 hUnited States · Honolulu, Oahu, Hi · 0.10 m
- 12:00 hFrench Polynesia · Tahiti
6 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 8 | 15.0 m Urup Island, Cape Van Der Linda | — | — |
 United States | 6 | 0.40 m Kahului, Maui, Hi | — | 7:06 h |
 Japan | 3 | 0.36 m Hanasaki | — | — |
| USA Territory | 2 | 0.20 m Midway Islands | — | 4:36 h |
| Marshall Islands, Rep. Of | 1 | 0.10 m Kwajalein, Marshall Islands | — | 6:24 h |
| Micronesia, Fed. States Of | 1 | 0.10 m Truk Islands, Caroline Islands | — | 5:12 h |
 French Polynesia | 1 | — | — | 12:00 h |
Highest documented water heights
15 / 22Individual 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urup Island, Cape Van Der Linda · Kuril Islands | 15.00 m | 128 km | Russia |
| Iturup Island, September Bay · Kuril Islands | 8.00 m | 172 km | Russia |
| Malokuril'skaya Bay, Shikotan · Kuril Islands | 0.80 m | 315 km | Russia |
| Burevestnik, Iturup I., Kurilskiye · Kuril Islands | 0.50 m | 233 km | Russia |
| Sernovodsk, Kunashir · Kuril Islands | 0.50 m | 405 km | Russia |
| Yuzhno-Kuril'sk, Kunashir Island · Kuril Islands | 0.50 m | 384 km | Russia |
| Kahului, Maui, Hi · Hi | 0.40 m | 5,499 km | United States |
| Matua, Kurilskiye · Kuril Islands | 0.40 m | 422 km | Russia |
| Hanasaki · Hokkaido | 0.36 m | 433 km | Japan |
| Iturup Island, Kurilskiye · Kuril Islands | 0.30 m | 243 km | Russia |
| Hachinohe · Aomori | 0.25 m | 877 km | Japan |
| Midway Islands · Hi | 0.20 m | 3,377 km | USA Territory |
| Kushiro · Hokkaido | 0.15 m | 536 km | Japan |
| Haleiwa, Oahu, Hi · Hi | 0.10 m | 5,321 km | United States |
| Hilo, Hawaii, Hi · Hi | 0.10 m | 5,696 km | United States |
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.