1963 Kuril Islands earthquake

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
Local time	15:17:59
Magnitude	8.5 Mw
Depth	47 km (29.2 mi)
Epicenter	44°49′N149°32′E / 44.81°N 149.54°E
Areas affected	Soviet Union
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent)
Tsunami	Yes

Last updated February 23, 2025

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 M_w 7.8 event seven days later.^[3] Both earthquakes triggered tsunamis that were observed around the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.

Tectonic setting

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

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

Characteristics

Earthquake

The megathrust earthquake ruptured a 250 km-long section of the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench and based on pulses of shock registered on seismometer records, it was found that there were three particular areas of asperity with high amount of slip inside the torn subduction interface, each roughly 50 km in length and 7.5M_w in energy. ^[4]

Tsunami

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]

References

1 2 NGDC. "Search results page showing the two events" . Retrieved 12 March 2010.
↑ "M5.3 – Kuril Islands (BETA)" U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2014-9-4.
↑ "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.
↑ 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

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

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[NGDC-1] 1 2 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.

[Ruff-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.

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20th century	1909 Anegawa 1911 Kikai Island 1914 Senboku 1922 Shimabara 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 Izu Islands 2000 Tottori
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