July 29, 1960 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on July 29, 1960 at 17:31:45 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places.
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
The tsunami
- Date
- July 29, 1960, 17:31:45 UTC
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.7, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 40.300° N, 142.500° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
July 30, 1960, 2:31 [local time], 40.2 N, 142.6 E, depth 30 km, magnitude 7. An earthquake occurred with source off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, accompanied by a very weak tsunami, which was barely registered by tide gauges. (reference #414)
July 30, 1960, 02:31 local time, 40.3 N, 142.5 E, magnitude 6.7. Miyako 10 cm. (peak-trough). (reference #150)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kujiko | Japan | 59 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kuji | Japan | 63 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 29, 17:53 | ||
| Miyako | Japan | 85 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 29, 17:53 | ||
| Hakodate | Japan | 217 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 29, 18:33 | ||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 238 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1960The 1900sTsunamis of JapanThe 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 1905.