September 24, 1907 Tsunami: Skagway, AK, United States

1907, Sept 24. Validity 3. Probably due to a local submarine landslide. A shock

lasting 40 seconds at 4 A.M. rattled dishes and

spilled water at Skagway. A report from Haines

said that the Davidson Glacier was moved a half

mile by the shock (Alaska Daily Dispatch,

September 24, 1907, p. 1). Captain Nyland of the

Petrel, which was four miles north of Haines,

observed a slight temporary change in water

level, (Tarr and Martin, 1912, p. 96). The

earthquake was recorded on the seismograph at

Sitka, and Soloviev and Go (1975, p. 216-217)

estimate the magnitude to have been 5.5 based

on the small record there. They believe the water

change was seiche as the magnitude was small.

However, landslides and ice falls could be

associated with small-to-moderate earthquakes.

Seiche, if they are possible at all in the

earthquake source region, are not usually found

with small earthquakes.

The report of cable disruptions by the cable ship

Burtiside states that it was advised of a cable

interruption to the Sitka-Valdez cable on the

morning of October 2 and repaired a break on

October 6 caused by "submarine upheaval." "It

is believed that this interruption was caused by

a submarine upheaval as advices afterwards

received from the Weather Bureau at Sitka show

that a seismic disturbance occurred west of that

station at the time the cable became interrupted."

As there is not another earthquake reported for

the following week this cable break is probably

for the event of September 25. The Burnside's

report that the break occurred on October 2 is

probably when they heard of the break while in

Valdez.

The location of the break was not given other

than 348 nautical miles from Valdez and 172

nautical miles from Sitka. It was a complete

separation. This seems to put the break in the

open ocean south of Yakutat Bay.

This appears to be the first of 39 reports of cable

breaks ascribed to submarine slides and earthquakes

in southeastern Alaska and the Prince

William Sound area. Fourteen of the breaks

occurred near Wrangell and were caused by

submarine movement from the sediments in the

Stikine River. Four of these were associated with

earthquakes. Except for the 1949 and 1957

events, none produced reports of any wave

activity. Similarly, fourteen cable breaks

occurred near Haines and Skagway. Many were

associated with the deltas from the Katzehin

River and Skagway River. Four of these were

associated with earthquakes, and only those of

1958 and 1964 had observed waves with them.

Ten more cable breaks were associated with

Valdez and the delta of the Lowe and Robe

Rivers. Six of these were associated with

earthquakes, including those of 1908 (see

following event), 1925, and 1949, which were

observed (Heezen and Johnson, 1969; National

Archives, Alaska Region, Record Group 342). (Ref #239)

A shock lasting 3-4 seconds was felt at Skagway, Klakuan, at the Point Sherman lighthouse in the region of Lynn Canal. Many residents woke up. The dishes rattled, lamps swayed, and the pendulums of clocks stopped. The shock was accompanied by a faint rumble. It was registered by the seismograph at Sitka. A seaquake was felt on a ship situated 7 km (4 miles) north of Haines, and a small temporary change in the water level was noticed. [These were probably seiches. Judging by the amplitude of the shocks at Sitka, its magnitude can be estimated at 5 1/2 +/- 1/2] (Reference #415).