March 24, 1978 Tsunami: S. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at S. Kuril Islands, Russia on March 24, 1978 at 19:47:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.65 meters. Its effects were recorded at 20 places in at least 3 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 24, 1978, 19:47:50 UTC
- Source
- S. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.65 m (2.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 20
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 44.244° N, 148.862° 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 25, 1978. The fifth and strongest tsunamigenic earthquake occurred at 06 hr 49 min Sakhalin time. Seismic station "Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" assessed its magnitude at 7.6. The earthquake was felt at an intensity of 5-6 points on
Shikotan Island, at 5 points on Kunashir Island, and at 3 points on Iturup and Urup Islands. The earthquake was felt at an intensity of III points (JMA) in the region of Nemuro-Hiroo-Obihiro (Hokkaido) and at II points in the southwestern part of Hokkaido and in the northern part of Honshu. The tsunami generated by the earthquake was recorded by instruments on the Kuril Islands and in Japan. Data on the visual observations are not available with the exception of a report that for three hours in Kasatka Inlet
the sea repeatedly receded about 15-20 m from the coast.
It can be seen ... that at all stations the tsunami began with a rise in water level. [March 24; 19 h 47 m 50.7 s: 43.9O N. Lat., 149.1' E. Long.; 39 km; M = 8.0; 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 | 124 | 0.65 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:20 | ||
| Malokuril'Skaya Bay, Shikotan | Russia | 169 | 0.37 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:20 | ||
| Yuzhno-Kuril'Sk, Kunashir Island | Russia | 241 | 0.18 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 21:11 | ||
| Nemuroko | Japan | 282 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 286 | 0.32 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:39 | ||
| Abashiri | Japan | 367 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 21:19 | ||
| Kushiro | Japan | 389 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:44 | ||
| Tokachiko | Japan | 498 | 0.19 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:55 | ||
| Hiroo | Japan | 500 | 0.21 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:49 | ||
| Matua, Kurilskiye | Russia | 545 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:30 | ||
| Korsakov, Sakhalin | Russia | 546 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 22:29 | ||
| Urakawa | Japan | 546 | 0.18 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Cape Crillon (Krilon), Sakhalin I. | Russia | 564 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 22:14 | ||
| Poronaysk, Sakhalin | Russia | 706 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 23:27 | ||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 730 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:57 | ||
| Miyako | Japan | 765 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 20:55 | ||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 903 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 21:07 | ||
| Chichijima Island | Japan | 1,995 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 22:33 | ||
| Wake Island, UM | US Territories | 3,222 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 23:45 | ||
| Midway Islands, HI | US Territories | 3,483 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 00:29 |
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 2103.