The 1964 Niigata earthquake struck at 13:01 local time on 16 June with a magnitude of either 7.5 or 7.6. The epicenter was on the continental shelf off the northwest coast of Honshu, Japan in Niigata Prefecture, about 50 kilometres north of the city of Niigata. The earthquake caused liquefaction over large parts of the city.
There were 3,534 houses destroyed and a further 11,000 were damaged. Aside from the buildings destroyed by liquefaction on the left bank of the Shinano River there was also extensive damage on the right bank. The runway of the Niigata Airport was near the hypocenter and was flooded due to liquefaction and the tsunami and a fire broke out inside the airport. Most devastatingly, the pipes of a gasoline tank owned by Showa Shell Sekiyu, located between the airport and the harbor, were also damaged by the shaking. Gasoline from the tank was brought to the sea surface by the tsunami and underground water released by the liquefaction and ignited 5 hours after the earthquake. The fire spread to nearby tanks and induced explosions that fed the fire, allowing it to continue for 12 days. The fire spread to nearby residential areas leaving 1407 people.
The first wave of the tsunami hit Niigata City approximately 15 minutes after the earthquake. It caused flooding damage on Sado Island, Awa Island, and as far away as the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture. The wave reached heights of 3 m at Ryōtsu Harbor, 4 m at Shiotani and near Iwafune Harbor, and between 1 and 2 m at Naoetsu.The first wave was the highest in many places, but the third was reportedly higher in others. The ensuing waves came at intervals of 20 and 50 minutes. Flooding caused by the tsunami persisted in some areas for up to a month.
日本の災害史上、最大級の石油コンビナート災害をもたらした地震で、化学消防体制が脆弱な時代背景もあり、143基の石油タンクが延焼し、その火災は12日間続いた。以後、石油コンビナート防災の指標の一つとなっている。この地震を機に住宅地や工業地帯の液状化現象への本格的な研究が始まった。また、日本で地震保険ができる直接的な要因となった震災としても知られ、この2年後、1966年（昭和41年）に地震保険制度が誕生した。
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