November 17, 2003 Earthquake: Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States on November 17, 2003 at 06:43:06 UTC, 33 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
- November 17, 2003
- Time
- 06:43:06 UTC
- Place
- Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 51.146° N, 178.650° 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.
Felt (IV) on Shemya.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 4, 1965, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- November 6, 1971, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- June 23, 2014, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- August 17, 1906, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- August 2, 2007, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- July 14, 1940, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
- March 30, 1965, Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 2003The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2003Recent 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 5735.