March 22, 1978 Tsunami: S. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at S. Kuril Islands, Russia on March 22, 1978 at 21:34:33 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.05 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- March 22, 1978, 21:34:33 UTC
- Source
- S. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.05 m (0.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -3
- Warning
- Local Tsunami Warning issued by a regional or national warning center
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 44.140° N, 149.029° 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. A second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 occurred at 8 hr 34 min 31 sec Sakhalin time. This earthquake was not felt on the Kuril Islands. A tsunami warning was issued but substantial sea level oscillations were not reported. A tsunami was recorded at two hydrometeorological stations: Bwevestnik and Yuzhno-Kuril'sk. Because the tsunami was a weak one, it did not cause any damage on the coasts of the Kuril Islands or Japan. [March 22; 21h 34 m 31 s; 43.8' N. Lat., 149.3' E. Long.; 36 km; M = 7.1; I = -3.] (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 | 142 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 22:19 | ||
| Yuzhno-Kuril'Sk, Kunashir Island | Russia | 254 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 23:02 |
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 2569.