June 24, 1973 Earthquake: Kuril Islands, Russia
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kuril Islands, Russia on June 24, 1973 at 02:43:25 UTC, 50 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
- June 24, 1973
- Time
- 02:43:25 UTC
- Place
- Kuril Islands, Russia
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 50 km (31 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 43.300° N, 146.400° E
- Country
- Russia
The toll
- Injuries
- 1
- 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.
June 24, 1973, 02:43:25.5 UTC, 43.3 N, 146.4 E, depth 50 km, magnitude 6.3 mb, 7.1 MS. One injured and slight damage in Nemuro area, felt (V JMA) in Kushiro and Urakawa areas, also felt (III) at Obihiro and Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan. (reference #1053)
June 24, 1973, 13hr 43min [Russian local time] (02h43m25.5s UTC), 43.1 N, 146.5 E, depth 50 km, M = 7.5. A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred near the source region of the earthquake of June 17. Its hypocenter was located 60 km northeast of the hypocenter of the June 17 earthquake and
was at a depth of 50 km. This earthquake continued for less than 1 min, a shorter duration than the earlier earthquake.
A comparison of the effects of these two earthquakes shows that the earthquake of June 24 was weaker in many regions and caused virtually no additional destruction of structures. Only in Goryachi Plyazh and Golovnino (Kunashir Island) was the underground shock of June 24 felt at a stronger intensity than that of June 17. In Goryachi Plyazh the earthquake greatly alarmed the population, causing some frightened people to jump out of windows of their homes. Golovnino residents reported that the second earthquake was stronger than the earlier one. In the region of the Mendeleev volcano, no changes could be noticed in fumarole activity. However, water from the spring became turbid. Bus passengers traveling from Mendeleevo to Yuzhno-Kuril'sk could not feel the earthquake and learned of it only upon arrival at the city center. Data from Japan also indicated that the earthquake was felt at an intensity of not more than 5 points. The rumble from the June 24 earthquake
was heard at a lesser distance; for example, it was not even noticed on Urup and Iturup Islands. The underground shock of June 24 was also weaker in magnitude than the June 17 shock, although it happened at the same distance from the island arc. The earthquake produced a tsunami which was observed on the coasts of the Kuril Islands and of Japan. (reference #417)
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
- June 26, 1973, Kuril Islands, Russia
- September 27, 1974, Hokkaido, Kuril-Japan, Russia
- September 11, 1935, Kuril Islands, Russia
- February 23, 1980, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 18, 1896, Kuril Islands, Russia
- January 29, 1968, Kuril Islands, Russia
- December 25, 1900, Kuril Islands, Russia
- October 25, 1881, Hokkaido Island, Japan
- August 11, 1961, SE. Hokkaido Island, Japan
- November 15, 1961, SE. Hokkaido Island, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1973The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1973Recent 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 4639.