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 (1963-10-13)
Local time	15:17:59
Duration	93 seconds
Magnitude	8.5 Mw
Depth	47 km (29.2 mi)
Epicenter	44°49′N149°32′E / 44.81°N 149.54°E / 44.81; 149.54
Areas affected	Soviet Union
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent) [1]
Tsunami	Yes

The 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake occurred at 05:17 UTC, on October 13. ^[2] The earthquake had a moment magnitude (M_w ) of 8.5 and was followed by an 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 which based on pulses of shock registered on seismometer records, found to have contained three particular areas of asperity with high amounts of slip inside the torn subduction interface, each roughly 50 km in length and M_w 7.5 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]

See also

• 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

1. NGDC. "Search results page showing the two events". Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. 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

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