December 31, 1901 Tsunami: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States on December 31, 1901 at 09:02:30 UTC. 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
- December 31, 1901, 09:02:30 UTC
- Source
- Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1, 25 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 51.450° N, 171.020° 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:
1901, December. A strong volcanic eruption, with an accompanying earthquake and series of tsunamis, was reported to have occurred. This report is doubtful as there are no active volcanos on the Kenai Peninsula. Recorded eruptions of Redoubt Volcano on January 18, 1902 and Saint Augustine Volcano in 1902, as well as seismic activity near Umnak Island on December 31, 1901 and Unimak Island on January 1, 1902, may be associated with this report. A search of the marigraphic archives did not find an Alaskan gage active at the time of this report, preventing confirmation. One source describes the event as "destructive," but no local reports of damage were found. A possible occurrence date of 12/30/1901 is also linked to this event.
Reference #414:
1901, December 30-31. There was an earthquake on the Kenai Peninsula. It apparently caused some destruction. There was a strong volcanic eruption in Cook Inlet. The earthquake was accompanied by several tidal waves.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenai, AK, AK | United States | 1,585 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1901The 1900sTsunamis 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 1286.