1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and megatsunami

1958 Lituya Bay earthquake
1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and megatsunami is located in Alaska
Anchorage
Anchorage
1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and megatsunami
UTC time1958-07-10 06:15:58
ISC event884702
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateJuly 9, 1958 (1958-07-09)
Local time22:15 PST
Magnitude7.8–8.3 Mw[1][2][3][4]
Depth35 km (22 mi)[2]
Epicenter58°22′12″N 136°39′54″W / 58.370°N 136.665°W / 58.370; -136.665[2]
FaultFairweather Fault
TypeStrike-slip[5]
Areas affectedLituya Bay, Alaska
Max. intensityMMI XI (Extreme)[2]
Tsunami524 m (1,719 ft) runup[3]
Casualties5 dead[6]
False-color Landsat 8 image of Lituya Bay, 2020. The damaged trimline is still imprinted in the forest. The lighter green areas along the shore indicate places where forests are younger than older trees (darker areas) that were not affected by the tsunami.

The 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake occurred on July 9, 1958, at 22:15:58 PST with a moment magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme).[4] The strike-slip earthquake took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a rockslide of 30 million cubic meters (40 million cubic yards) and about 90 million tons into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska. The impact was heard 80 kilometers (50 mi) away,[7] and the sudden displacement of water resulted in a megatsunami that washed out trees to a maximum elevation of 524 meters (1,719 feet) at the entrance of Gilbert Inlet.[8] This is the largest and most significant megatsunami in modern times; it forced a re-evaluation of large-wave events and the recognition of impact events, rockfalls, and landslides as causes of very large waves.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISC-GEM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PAGER-CAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "M 8.3 – 19 km NNW of Elfin Cove, Alaska". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference yeats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Kiffer, Dave (July 8, 2008). "Surviving the Biggest Wave Ever". Stories in the News. Ketchikan, Alaska. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Mader, Charles L.; Gittings, Michael L. (2002). "Modeling the 1958 Lituya Bay Mega-Tsunami, II" (PDF). The International Journal of The Tsunami Society. 20 (5): 241–245. ISSN 8755-6839.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).