September 7, 1918 Tsunami: S. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake began at S. Kuril Islands, Russia on September 7, 1918 at 17:16 UTC. The water rose as high as 12 meters. Its effects were recorded at 22 places in at least 5 countries. It killed 23 people.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- September 7, 1918, 17:16 UTC
- Source
- S. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.2, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 12 m (39.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 22
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 45.500° N, 151.500° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 23
- Injuries
- 7
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Houses damaged
- 19
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.
1918, September 7. A very strong earthquake occurred on the east coast of Urup producing a large tsunami at Urup and other southern Kurile Islands. On Urup early in the morning strong shocks were felt, primarily in a vertical direction. On the east coast of the island, in Iwami, there were 60 workers employed in the dismantling and raising of a sunken ship. After the first shocks, the people awakened and ran out of the houses half-dressed. The shocks continued for 3-4 minutes, and no one was hurt. A heavy rain made them all return to the houses. The sea was calm at first: there were neither waves nor wind. Approximately 30 minutes after the earthquake a frightful noise was heard from the direction of the sea. That was the tsunami, which approached the shore and washed away all of the buildings. The height of the wave reached 12 m. Twenty-three men perished, 7 were injured, and the rest saved themselves by fleeing to the volcanic cone.
Noticeable subterranean shocks and small tsunamis 50-70 cm. high were observed on the east and north coasts of Hokkaido.
(Above from Reference #413)
1918, September 7, 17:16 UTC. 45.5 N, 151.5 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.25 MS, tsunami magnitude 3.6. (reference #79)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opasnaia Bay, Urup I, Kurilskiye | Russia | 116 | 12 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 7, 17:46 | 23 | |
| Chernye, Urup I, Kurilskiye | Russia | 124 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Nemuroko | Japan | 528 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 533 | 0.55 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 18:34 | ||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 533 | 1.1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hakodate | Japan | 961 | 0.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 1,151 | 0.45 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Choshi | Japan | 1,405 | 0.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Aburatsubo | Japan | 1,525 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 7, 18:40 | |||
| Kii-Kushimoto | Japan | 1,800 | 0.32 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 20:22 | ||
| Futami Bay, Chichijima Island | Japan | 2,203 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hososhima | Japan | 2,238 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 20:58 | ||
| Craig, AK, AK | United States | 5,190 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 8, 01:00 | ||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 5,306 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 8, 00:22 | ||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,640 | 1.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Tofino (Clayoquot),british Columbia, BC | Canada | 5,935 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 8, 01:48 | ||
| San Francisco, CA, CA | United States | 6,868 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 8, 02:25 | ||
| Apia, Upolu Island | Samoa | 7,538 | 0.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 8, 02:58 | ||
| Maero, Iturup I, Kurilskiye | Russia | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 7, 17:46 | |||
| Toshireri, Iturup I, Kurilskiye | Russia | 2.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Shibetoro, Iturup I, Kurilskiye | Russia | 2.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Shane, Kurilskiye | Russia | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1918The 1900sTsunamis of RussiaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 1457.