March 20, 1960 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on March 20, 1960 at 17:07:30 UTC, 20 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
- March 20, 1960
- Time
- 17:07:30 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.800° N, 143.400° 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.
March 21, 1960, 2:07 (local time, March 20 17:07 UTC, 39.8 N, 143.5 E, 20 km depth, magnitude 7.5). An earthquake with source 120 km long off the coast of Iwate Prefecture caused slight destruction. A weak tsunami arose, which was registered by tide gauges. (reference #414)
March 20, 1960, 17:07:30 UTC, 40 N, 143.5 E, magnitude 7, depth 60 km. (reference #88)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, 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
- October 29, 1989, N. Honshu Island, Japan
- October 12, 1935, Sanriku, Japan
- May 27, 1928, Sanriku, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1960The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1960Recent 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 6387.