October 26, 1959 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
An earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on October 26, 1959 at 07:35:00 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
- October 26, 1959
- Time
- 07:35:00 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 37.500° 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:
1959, October 26, 16:35 local time. An earthquake with source off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture caused a very weak tsunami which was registered by tide gauges.
Iida et al. (1967): 26.X; 7h35m; 37.6 N., 143.2 E.; 20 km; M=6.7, m=-3.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- July 6, 1905, Off Fukushima, Japan
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- March 16, 2022, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 7, 2011, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- February 13, 2021, Off Fukushima, Japan
- November 5, 1938, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- July 10, 2011, E Coast, Honshu, Japan
- October 31, 2003, East Coast Honshu, Japan
- August 5, 1897, Sanriku, Japan
- April 12, 1962, Sanriku, Japan
- December 7, 2012, Miyagi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
- July 11, 2014, Sanriku, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1959The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1959Recent 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 6590.