31-07-2025
From Lituya Bay to Icy Bay, some of the worst tsunamis in US history
As per the official website of World Data, 75 tidal waves classified as tsunamis have rocked the American shoreline since 1737. Here's a look at some of the deadliest catastrophes, as compiled by Freight Waves: Worst tsunamis to hit the US (Representational Image)
Lituya Bay, Alaska (July 10, 1958)
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Fairweather Fault in southeastern Alaska on July 10, 1958. Five people died as a result: three on Khantaak Island at the mouth of Yakutat Bay and two by their boat sinking at Lituya Bay. This generated a gargantuan wave to the height of 1,720 feet, the world's largest recorded tsunami, as per the Western States Seismic Policy Council.
Icy Bay, Alaska (Oct. 18, 2015)
According to the National Park Service, nobody was close enough to the catastrophe for any physical harm or injury to follow, although the infrastructure took a major hit as a result. The same was scattered in smithereens across a beach used for landing bush planes. Landslides typically happen in conjunction with tsunamis, specifically around Alaska's parks.
Also Read: Watch: Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia's far east erupts after 8.8 earthquake
Lituya Bay (Oct. 27, 1936)
A tsunami standing at a height of 490 feet in Crillon Inlet at the head of the bay was witnessed by four individuals, all of whom survived the catastrophe. Triggered by a landslide, the maximum inundation distance was 2,000 feet inland along the north shore of the bay.
Lituya Bay (Jan. 1, 1853)
What was then the Russian part of America, a large landslide on the south shore of the bay near Mudslide Creek triggered a tsunami with a wave height of about 394 feet, which flooded the coast of the bay up to 750 feet inland. Due to a lack of official records, geologists have had to rely on studies and evidence from the region to piece together the event.
Shumagin Islands, Alaska (Aug. 6, 1788)
Unfinished Russian accounts point out that the area between east central Kodiak Island and Sanak Island most likely ruptured due to two tsunami-producing earthquakes in the summer of 1788. This was followed by a second earthquake that inundated the Shumagin and Sanak islands. Surveys estimate the magnitude of the earthquake at 8.0.
With contribution from Stuti Gupta
