March 23, 1960 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on March 23, 1960 at 00:23 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 23, 1960
- Time
- 00:23 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.400° N, 143.700° 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.
March 23, 1960, 00:23 UTC (09:30 local time), 39.3 N, 143.8 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 6.7 MS. An aftershock of the preceding earthquake (March 20, 1960) caused a weak tsunami which was registered by tide gauges. (reference #414)
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
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- August 23, 1856, Oshima, Japan
- August 9, 1901, Off Northeast Coast Honshu, Japan
- December 28, 1994, Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- July 23, 2008, N, Honshu, Japan
- November 9, 2025, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- July 18, 1992, Honshu Island, 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 6388.