July 2, 1965 Earthquake: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States

Name: July 2, 1965 Earthquake: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
Start: 1965-07-02
Location: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States

July 2, 1965 · M6.5

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States on July 2, 1965 at 20:58:38 UTC, 40 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: July 2, 1965
Time: 20:58:38 UTC
Place: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
Magnitude: 6.5 (Ms)
Focal depth: 40 km (25 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 53.030° N, 167.550° W
Country: United States

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

In one house on Umnak Island, dishes were broken and books were thrown over all the room as a result of this magnitude 6.5 earthquake. (reference #542)

1965, July 2, 10:59 local time. An earthquake was felt with a force of up to 6 degrees on Umnak Island, where in one home the crockery was broken and books were scattered all over the room. It was felt by almost everybody in Cold Bay; a light crackling sound was heard; buildings swayed; lamps rocked 10-15 cm on a west-east axis; the duration of the oscillation was 40 seconds. A tsunami with an amplitude of 15 cm was recorded on Unalaska Island (Reference #414).

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1965 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1965 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6414.