January 21, 1976 Tsunami: S. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at S. Kuril Islands, Russia on January 21, 1976 at 10:05:24 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.38 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- January 21, 1976, 10:05:24 UTC
- Source
- S. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 41 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.38 m (1.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 44.915° N, 149.123° 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.
January 21. 1976: 21 hr 05 min (Saldialin hie). A strong earthquake at a magnitude of 7.2 occurred in the southern part of the Kuril Islands east of Ihirup Island. It was felt at intensities of 6 points in Reidovo, 5 in Kuril'sk, and 3-4 points in Yuhno-Kuril'sk. The intensity was III points (JMA) in Nemuro and 11 points in Urakawa and Hiroo.
The earthquake caused a tsunami which was recorded by tide gauges on the coast of the Kuril Islands and in Hokkaido. At Burevestnik the first wave arrived at 21 hr 40 min (Sakhalin time). According to the report of assistants at the Hydrometeorological Station in Burevestnik, the first wave was followed by a series of waves with periods of 10-20 min and with amplitudes of 25-30 cm. (reference #417)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burevestnik, Iturup I., Kurilskiye | Russia | 118 | 0.18 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 10:36 | ||
| Malokuril'Skaya Bay, Shikotan | Russia | 218 | 0.37 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 11:55 | ||
| Yuzhno-Kuril'Sk, Kunashir Island | Russia | 278 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 11:45 | ||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 338 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 10:59 | ||
| Matua, Kurilskiye | Russia | 474 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1976The 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 2084.