January 20, 1878 Tsunami: Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Aleutian Islands, AK, United States on January 20, 1878. The water rose as high as 3.6 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- January 20, 1878
- Source
- Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Maximum water height
- 3.6 m (11.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 3
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.
Cox and Morgan (reference #80) believe the source of the tsunami to be an Aleutian earthquake. Iida et al (reference #79) and Pararas-Carayannis and Calebaugh (reference #335) believe waves to be of meteorological origin. (Ref #236)
A large tsunami was observed on the north coast of Maui and Oahu Islands. The water rose 3 m; many homes were destroyed (Reference #415).
Note: Ref #13500 mentions the possibility of a local source tsunami generated by submarine landslides on steep slopes triggered merely by gravity, additional debris, or unfelt earthquakes
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halehaku, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Honomanu, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Maliko, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 3.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Waialua, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 3 | 150 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1878The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 1089.