January 29, 1968 Earthquake: Kuril Islands, Russia
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Kuril Islands, Russia on January 29, 1968 at 10:19:07 UTC, 40 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
- January 29, 1968
- Time
- 10:19:07 UTC
- Place
- Kuril Islands, Russia
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 40 km (25 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 43.586° N, 146.701° 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.
1968, January 29, 10:10:05.6 UTC. 43.5 N, 146.7 E, depth 40 km, magnitude 7.0 mb, 7.3 Ms. Kurile Islands. (reference #1229)
1968, January 29, 10:19:07.18 UTC. 43.586 N, 146.701 E, depth 39.7 km, magnitude 7.3 Mw, 7.3 Ms. (reference #9910)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 25, 1843, Yezo, Kushiro, Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan
- June 17, 1973, Hokkaido Island, Japan
- October 4, 1994, Hokkaido, Kuril Islands, Japan, Russia
- March 22, 1894, Off Coast of Honshu, Japan
- May 28, 1938, E. Hokkaido Island, Japan
- February 23, 1980, Kuril Islands, Russia
- June 24, 1973, Kuril Islands, Russia
- September 27, 1974, Hokkaido, Kuril-Japan, Russia
- June 26, 1973, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 18, 1896, Kuril Islands, Russia
- October 25, 1881, Hokkaido Island, Japan
- September 11, 1935, Kuril Islands, Russia
- June 4, 1893, Kuril Islands, Russia
- December 25, 1900, Kuril Islands, Russia
- August 11, 1969, Shikotan Island, Kurilskiye, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1968The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1968Recent 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 6422.