March 30, 1965 Earthquake: Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States on March 30, 1965 at 02:27:03 UTC, 20 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
- March 30, 1965
- Time
- 02:27:03 UTC
- Place
- Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- Magnitude
- 7.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 50.320° N, 177.930° E
- Country
- United States
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
This magnitude 7.4 earthquake was felt on Adak and Amchitka Islands; a resultant small tsunami was recorded on the tide gage at Massacre Bay, Attu. (reference #542)
1965, March 29, 16:27 local time. An earthquake, felt on Amchitka and Adak Islands, caused a tsunami registered by tide gauges on Attu Island and at Hilo. [30.III; 2h27m07s; 50.6 N., 177.8 E,; 51 km; M=7.5] (Reference #414).
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 17, 2003, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- February 4, 1965, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- November 6, 1971, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- August 17, 1906, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- June 23, 2014, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- August 2, 2007, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- July 14, 1940, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1965The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1965Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 4347.