August 5, 1927 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on August 5, 1927 at 21:13:01 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- August 5, 1927
- Time
- 21:13:01 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 37.900° N, 142.000° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #150:
Some damage in Fukushim and Miyagi by shock.
Reference #414:
1927, August 6, 6:14 local time. There was a strong earthquake with source at sea off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. It was accompanied by a series of aftershocks. It caused a weak tsunami, which was registered only by tide gauges.
Iida et al. (1967): 5.VIII; 21h13m; 38o N., 142o E.; 20 km; M=6.9, m <-2.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- September 27, 1611, Aidu, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- July 6, 1905, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 21, 1659, Aidu, Japan
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- June 13, 2008, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
- April 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- March 16, 2022, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 7, 2011, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- February 13, 2021, Off Fukushima, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- November 5, 1938, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- April 30, 1962, Sendai, Honshu, Japan
- July 20, 1835, Sanriku, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1927The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1927Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6301.