1963 Kuril Islands earthquake

Earthquake east of the Kuril Islands, Soviet Union

1963 Kuril Islands earthquake

October 13

October 20

UTC time| 1963-10-13 05:17:59
ISC event| 873239
USGS-ANSS| ComCat
Local date| October 13, 1963 (1963-10-13)
Local time| 15:17:59
Magnitude| 8.5 Mw
Depth| 47 km (29.2 mi)
Epicenter| 44°49′N 149°32′E﻿ / ﻿44.81°N 149.54°E﻿ / 44.81; 149.54
Areas affected| Soviet Union
Max. intensity| IX (Violent) [1]
Tsunami| Yes

The 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake occurred at 05:17 UTC, on October 13.[2] The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.5 and was followed by a Mw 7.8 event seven days later.[3] Both earthquakes triggered tsunamis that were observed around the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.

## Tectonic setting[edit]

The Kuril Islands form part of the island arc formed above the subduction zone, where the Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the North American Plate. This convergent boundary has been the site of many large megathrust earthquakes, including the second largest earthquake ever recorded.

## Damage[edit]

No damage, deaths, or injuries were recorded for these two earthquakes or their associated tsunamis.

## Characteristics[edit]

### Earthquake[edit]

The earthquake was made up of three sub events, each of which is interpreted to represent the rupture of an asperity roughly 50 km in length along the subduction interface.[4]

### Tsunami[edit]

The tsunami triggered by the earthquake of October 13, caused a 4.5 m wave locally. The tsunami was also observed in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, California, and on many islands across the northern Pacific Ocean. The tsunami associated with the October 20 event was larger in the nearby area, with a maximum recorded run-up of 15 m at Urup, but was only observed in the western part of the northern Pacific.[1]

## See also[edit]

* 1994 Kuril Islands earthquake
* 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake
* 2007 Kuril Islands earthquake
* List of earthquakes in 1963
* List of earthquakes in Japan
* List of earthquakes in Russia

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b NGDC. "Search results page showing the two events". Retrieved 12 March 2010.
2. ^ "M5.3 - Kuril Islands (BETA)" U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2014-9-4.
3. ^ "Rupture process of the Great 1963 Kurile Islands Earthquake Sequence: Asperity interaction and multiple event rupture" SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System. Retrieved 2014-9-5.
4. ^ Ruff, L.; Kanamori H. (1983). "Seismic coupling and uncoupling at subduction zones" (PDF). Tectonophysics. 99 (2–4): 99–117. Bibcode:1983Tectp..99...99R. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(83)90097-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2010-03-12.

## External links[edit]

* The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.

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← Earthquakes in 1963 →

* Su-ao (7.3, Feb 13)
* Marj (5.6, Feb 21) †
* Skopje (6.1, July 26) ‡†
* Kuril Islands (8.5, Oct 13)

† indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year

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Earthquakes in Japan

Historical|

* 684 Hakuho
* 869 Jōgan
* 1293 Kamakura
* 1361 Shōhei
* 1498 Meiō
* 1586 Tenshō
* 1596 Fushimi
* 1605 Keichō
* 1611 Aizu
* 1611 Sanriku
* 1662 Kanbun
* 1677 Bōsō
* 1703 Genroku
* 1707 Hōei
* 1741 Kampo
* 1771 Great Yaeyama
* 1792 Unzen
* 1804 Kisakata
* 1828 Sanjō
* 1833 Shōnai
* 1847 Zenkoji
* 1854 Iga–Ueno
* 1854 Nankai
* 1854 Tōkai
* 1855 Edo
* 1858 Hietsu
* 1872 Hamada
* 1889 Kumamoto
* 1891 Mino–Owari
* 1894 Tokyo
* 1894 Shōnai
* 1896 Sanriku
* 1896 Rikuu

20th century|

* 1911 Kikai Island
* 1914 Senboku
* 1923 Great Kantō
* 1925 North Tajima
* 1927 North Tango
* 1930 North Izu
* 1933 Sanriku
* 1936 Miyagi
* 1939 Oga
* 1940 Shakotan
* 1941 Hyūga-nada
* 1943 Tottori
* 1944 Tōnankai
* 1945 Mikawa
* 1946 Nankai
* 1948 Fukui
* 1952 Tokachi
* 1961 North Mino
* 1963 Kuril Islands
* 1964 Niigata
* 1968 Ebino
* 1968 Hyūga-nada
* 1968 Tokachi
* 1973 Nemuro Peninsula
* 1974 Izu Peninsula
* 1978 Izu Ōshima
* 1978 Miyagi
* 1982 Urakawa
* 1983 Sea of Japan
* 1984 Nagano
* 1993 Kushiro
* 1993 Okushiri
* 1994 offshore Sanriku
* 1995 Hanshin
* 2000 Tottori

21st century|

* 2001 Geiyo
* 2003 Miyagi
* 2003 Tokachi
* 2004 Chūetsu
* 2005 Fukuoka
* 2005 Miyagi
* 2006 Kuril Islands
* 2007 Chūetsu
* 2007 Kuril Islands
* 2007 Noto
* 2008 Iwate–Miyagi
* 2008 Iwate
* 2009 Shizuoka
* 2011 Tōhoku
* 2011 Nagano
* 2011 Shizuoka
* 2011 Miyagi
* 2011 Fukushima
* 2012 Chiba
* 2012 Sanriku
* 2014 Nagano
* 2015 Ogasawara
* 2016 Kumamoto
* 2016 Tottori
* 2016 Fukushima
* 2018 Osaka
* 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi
* 2019 Yamagata
* 2021 Fukushima
* 2021 Miyagi
* 2021 Chiba
* 2022 Fukushima
* 2023 Ishikawa
* 2024 Noto

Related articles|

* Tōkai earthquakes
* Nankai megathrust earthquakes
* Kantō earthquakes
* South Kantō earthquakes
* Matsushiro earthquake swarm
* Noto earthquake swarm

* v
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* e

Earthquakes in Russia

Historical|

* 1737 Kamchatka
* 1840 Ahora
* 1841 Kamchatka
* 1887 Verny
* 1889 Chilik

20th century|

* 1902 Turkestan
* 1907 Qaratog
* 1911 Kebin
* 1911 Sarez
* 1918 Kuril Islands
* February 1923 Kamchatka
* April 1923 Kamchatka
* 1926 Kars earthquake
* 1927 Crimean
* 1929 Kopet Dag
* 1931 Zangezur
* 1946 Chatkal
* 1948 Ashgabat
* 1949 Khait
* 1952 Severo-Kurilsk
* 1959 Kamchatka
* 1963 Kuril Islands
* 1966 Tashkent
* 1970 Dagestan
* 1976 Osmussaar
* 1988 Armenian
* 1983 Hindu Kush
* 1990 Hindu Kush
* 1991 Hindu Kush
* 1991 Racha
* 1994 Kuril Islands
* 1995 Neftegorsk
* 1997 Kamchatka

21st century|

* 2003 Altai
* 2006 Kamchatka
* 2006 Kuril Islands
* 2007 Kuril Islands
* 2008 Chechnya
* 2013 Okhotsk Sea
* 2017 Komandorski Islands

Related articles|

* Kamchatka earthquakes
* Kuril–Kamchatka Trench

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