March 23, 1978 Tsunami: S. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at S. Kuril Islands, Russia on March 23, 1978 at 03:15:20 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 15 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
The tsunami
- Date
- March 23, 1978, 03:15:20 UTC
- Source
- S. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 15
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -2.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 44.932° N, 148.439° 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.
March 23, 1978. The fourth of the tsunamigenic earthquakes occurred at 14 hr 16 min Sakhalin time at a magnitude of 7.8. The earthquake was felt at an intensity of 5 points on Shikotan Island and at 3 points on Iturup Island. It was also felt at intensities of II points (MA) in the Nemuro-Urakawa region (Hokkaido) and in Aomori (Honshu). Visible oscillations in sea level were not observed. A weak tsunami caused by the earthquake was recorded by tide gauges on
the Kuril Islands and in Japan. [March 23; 03 h 15 m 20.3 s; 43.8' N. Lat., 148.9' E. Long.; 40 km; M = 7.8; I = 0.] (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 | 64 | 0.23 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 03:52 | ||
| Malokuril'Skaya Bay, Shikotan | Russia | 175 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:00 | ||
| Yuzhno-Kuril'Sk, Kunashir Island | Russia | 228 | 0.16 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:42 | ||
| Nemuroko | Japan | 288 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 294 | 0.16 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:09 | ||
| Abashiri | Japan | 348 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:58 | ||
| Kushiro | Japan | 392 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Korsakov, Sakhalin | Russia | 480 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 06:10 | ||
| Tokachiko | Japan | 505 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hiroo | Japan | 507 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:22 | ||
| Cape Crillon (Krilon), Sakhalin I. | Russia | 509 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 05:40 | ||
| Urakawa | Japan | 552 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Poronaysk, Sakhalin | Russia | 624 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 07:28 | ||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 747 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 04:49 | ||
| Chichijima Island | Japan | 2,056 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 05:58 |
More
Every tsunami in 1978The 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 2101.