March 22, 1938 Tsunami: British Columbia, Canada
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at British Columbia, Canada on March 22, 1938 at 15:22:00 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
- March 22, 1938, 15:22:00 UTC
- Source
- British Columbia, Canada
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3, 16 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 52.200° N, 131.900° 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.
No report of tsunami from source area and marigram oscillations not distinguishable from background noise. This is probably an erroneous report.
1938, March 22, 7:22 local time (15:22:14 UTC) Canada, BC, Queen Charlotte Islands. There was a strong earthquake, felt on the Queen Charlotte Islands and on the southeastern prominence of Alaska Territory. Dishes were broken at Prince Rupert. About 3 hours after the earthquake, a light tsunami was apparently registered by the tide gauge at Santa Monica (USA). Iida et al., (1967) express doubt as to the existence of a link between the earthquake and the oscillations registered by the tide gauge. There is no information about this tsunami in Gusiakov et al. Probably, this earthquake had too small magnitude (Reference #415 and #4153).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica, CA, CA doubtful | United States | 2,288 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1938The 1900sTsunamis of CanadaThe 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 1707.