October 12, 1963 Earthquake: Kuril Islands, Russia
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kuril Islands, Russia on October 12, 1963 at 11:27:00 UTC, 48 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 12, 1963
- Time
- 11:27:00 UTC
- Place
- Kuril Islands, Russia
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 48 km (30 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 44.426° N, 149.272° E
- Country
- Russia
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.
1963, October 12, 11:26:58 UTC. 44.8 N 149. E, depth 40 km, magnitude 7.0 Ms. (reference #88)
1963, October 12, 11:27:00.21 UTC. 44.426 N, 149.272 E, depth 48.3 km, magnitude 7.1 Mw, 7 MS. (reference #9910)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 29, 1780, Kuril Islands, Russia
- October 4, 1994, Hokkaido, Kuril Islands, Japan, Russia
- February 21, 1937, Kuril Islands, Russia
- April 9, 1959, Kuril Islands, Russia
- December 3, 1995, Iturup, Matua, Kunashir, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 23, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 22, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 24, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 12, 1958, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 22, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- June 11, 1965, Kuril Islands, Russia
- January 21, 1976, Kuril Islands, Russia
- October 13, 1963, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 6, 1958, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 6, 1908, Kuril Islands, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1963The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1963Recent 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 6407.