August 29, 1878 Tsunami: Unalaska Island, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a volcano and an earthquake began at Unalaska Island, AK, United States on August 29, 1878. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- August 29, 1878
- Source
- Unalaska Island, AK, United States
- Cause
- Volcano and earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 54.000° N, 167.000° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #239:
Major volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurred on several Aleutian Islands in late August and early September, 1878. It is reported that the village of Makushin on Unalaska Island was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami on this date, but this event cannot be substantiated and does not appear in contemporary reports. Evidence suggests that the village was moved previously in response to ongoing volcanic activity, associated earthquakes, and the loss of fishing grounds.
1878, August 29. Rockwood (1879) reports "Letters from Alaska dated September 1, state...frequent shocks...renewed activity of the volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands. On August 29 the village of Makushin on Unalaska Island was destroyed by earthquake shocks and tidal wave." Fuchs (1879) reports "29 August [1878]. About this day a destructive earthquake and following tsunami destroyed Makushin on Unalaska Island." Martinson (1973) reports, "The Village of Makushin was moved from its former position at Volcano Bay some five miles to the southwest to its present location on Makushin Bay sometime between 1832 and 1880. No other village sites seem to have been occupied in the area since about 1875."
Petroff (1884) reported: "In the year 1878 the island (Unalaska) was disturbed by a volcanic eruption and a small mud volcano arose between the prominent peak near the southern end of the island and the village. In 1880, both the old and new peaks were still smoking, and the latter spattering. During the shaking and trembling connected with these phenomena the fish seem to have left the shore and the inhabitants were for a season obliged to go to adjacent island to lay in their winter supply...Makushin is a very poor village of about fifty inhabitants, with a chapel, but no store...Their fishing grounds were so disturbed in 1878, by the volcanic eruption on Oomnak Island, that they were compelled to move their old village to the present site."
Reference #414:
1878, August 29. On Unalaska Island, Makushin was destroyed by an earthquake and tidal waves. Validity 2.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makushin, AK, AK | United States | 22 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1878The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThe eruptionThis 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 1109.