Tsunamis in 1954

October 1954 Tsunami: Aputiteq Point, Greenland

October 1954 · 18.28 m · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami of unknown cause began at Aputiteq Point, Greenland in October 1954. The water rose as high as 18.28 meters. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
October 1954
Source
Aputiteq Point, Greenland
Cause
Unknown
Maximum water height
18.28 m (60.0 ft)
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
4.2
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
67.470° N, 32.283° 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.

(Located in Southeast Greenland.) Berninghausen (Reference #43) reports: A "tidal wave" about 50 or 60 feet above normal sea level demolished the crane and the rails used for hauling the supplies to the stores, as well as several of the boats which could not be brought to safety." His source is ICAO (Reference #1875). Only the year and month is mentioned.

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
Aputiteq PointGreenland3718.28Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1954The 1900sTsunamis of GreenlandAlerts 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 1846.