May 27, 1928 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
An earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on May 27, 1928 at 09:50:00 UTC, 40 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
- May 27, 1928
- Time
- 09:50:00 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Focal depth
- 40 km (25 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 40.000° N, 143.200° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1928, May 27, 18:50 local time. There was an earthquake with source at sea off the coast of Iwate Prefecture. It was followed by aftershocks. It caused a weak tsunami, which was recorded by tide gauges.
Iida et al. (1967): 27.V; 9h50m; 40 N., 143.2 E.; 0-10 km; M=7, m< -2.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- August 31, 1896, Senhoku, Ugo, Japan
- December 6, 1616, Sanriku, Japan
- May 16, 1968, Off East Coast of Honshu Island, Japan
- August 23, 1856, Oshima, Japan
- August 9, 1901, Off Northeast Coast Honshu, Japan
- December 28, 1994, Honshu, Japan
- July 23, 2008, N, Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- April 20, 2026, Off Northeast Coast Honshu, Japan
- March 20, 1960, Sanriku, Japan
- February 16, 2015, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1928The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1928Recent 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 6628.