February 26, 1961 Earthquake: Miyazaki, Japan
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Miyazaki, Japan on February 26, 1961 at 18:10:48 UTC, 74 km below the surface. It killed 2 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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
- February 26, 1961
- Time
- 18:10:48 UTC
- Place
- Miyazaki, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 74 km (46 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 31.600° N, 131.800° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 7
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 170
- Houses damaged
- 170
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.
February 26, 1961, 18:10:48.7 UTC, near coast of Kyushu Japan, 31.6 N, 131.2 E, magnitude 7-7.25, depth about 74 km. Two killed, 7 injured, and over 170 homes destroyed at Miyazaki. 3-foot tsunami observed in southwest Shikoku Island. (reference #45)
February 27, 1961, 3:11 [local time]. There was an earthquake with a source 80 km long off the eastern coast of Kyushu Island, at Hyuga-Nada. It was felt with an intensity of 6 degrees (IV JMA) in Miyazaki Prefecture and in the eastern parts of Kumamoto and Kagoshima Prefectures. It caused a tsunami, which was registered by tide gauges from the Ryukyu Islands to the Boso Peninsula and Hachijo Island. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 21, 1792, Kyusyu Island, Japan
- June 30, 744, Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, Japan
- September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, Japan
- April 15, 2016, Kumamoto, Oita, Japan
- October 30, 1662, Hiuganada, Japan
- January 12, 1914, Sakurijima, Japan
- September 10, 1597, Beppu Bay, Japan
- July 28, 2026, Kumamoto, Japan
- December 7, 1922, Kyushu, Japan
- August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, Japan
- July 28, 1889, Kumamoto, Japan
- February 21, 1968, Kyushu, Japan
- March 18, 1987, Miyazaki, Naze, Kyushu, Japan
- November 18, 1941, Shikoku, Japan
- November 2, 1931, Kyushu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1961The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1961Recent 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 4238.