March 23, 1978 Earthquake: Kuril Islands, Russia
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Kuril Islands, Russia on March 23, 1978 at 03:15:20 UTC, 33 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, 1978
- Time
- 03:15:20 UTC
- Place
- Kuril Islands, Russia
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 44.932° N, 148.439° 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.
Fourth tsunamigenic earthquake:
At the end of March 1978, a long series of earthquakes occurred east of Iturup Island, many of which had a magnitude exeeding magnitude 7.0. From 00 hr 50 min on March 22 to 19 hr 43 min on March 24 there was as many as seven earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 7.0 to 8.0. Five of the seven earthquakes produced weak tsunamis.
The earthquake was felt at an intensity of 5 points on Shikotan Island and at 3 points on Iturup Island.
Reference #417 (Soloviev, 1992) reports epicenter 03 h 15 m 20.3 s, 43.8 N, 148.9 E, depth 40 km, magnitude = 7.8.
Felt (VI) at Kurilsk and (III JMA) at Kushiro, Hokkaido. Also Felt (II JMA) in Nemuro-Urakawa area, Hokkaido and at Aomori, Honshu. Small tsunami reported with wave heights (center to peak) 25 cm at Yuzhno-Kurilsk and 24 cm at Nemuro, Hokkaido. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 4, 1994, Hokkaido, Kuril Islands, Japan, Russia
- June 11, 1965, Kuril Islands, Russia
- April 5, 1901, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 6, 1958, Kuril Islands, Russia
- January 21, 1976, Kuril Islands, Russia
- December 3, 1995, Iturup, Matua, Kunashir, Kuril Islands, Russia
- April 9, 1959, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 24, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- June 30, 1924, Kuril Islands, Russia
- November 12, 1958, Kuril Islands, Russia
- October 12, 1963, Kuril Islands, Russia
- February 21, 1937, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 23, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 24, 1984, Kuril Islands, Russia
- March 22, 1978, Kuril Islands, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent 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 4797.