 The epicenter of the earthquake is thought to have been in the eastern Aleutian Islands. | |
| Local date | 11 June 1585 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 9.25 Mw |
| Epicenter | Aleutian subduction zone |
| Type | Megathrust |
| Areas affected | Hawaii, Alaska Sanriku, Japan |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Casualties | Many native people in Hawaii killed |
The 1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake is the presumed source of a tsunami along the Sanriku coast of Japan on 11 June 1585, known only from vague historical accounts and oral traditions. The event was initially misdated to 1586, which led to it being associated with the deadly earthquakes in Peru and Japan of that year. A megathrust earthquake on the Aleutian subduction zone in the North Pacific Ocean was hypothesized as the tsunami's source. Paleotsunami evidence from shoreline deposits and coral rocks in Hawaii suggest that the 1585 event was a large megathrust earthquake with a moment magnitude (Mw ) as large as 9.25.