July 2, 1965 Tsunami: Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States on July 2, 1965 at 20:58:38 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.08 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- July 2, 1965, 20:58:38 UTC
- Source
- Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, AK, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.08 m (0.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -3.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 53.030° N, 167.550° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
In one house on Umnak Island, dishes were broken and books were thrown over all the room as a result of this magnitude 6.5 earthquake. Also, a small resultant tsunami was recorded on Unalaska Island and at Cold Bay.
1965, July 2, 10:59 local time. An earthquake was felt with a force of up to 6 degrees on Umnak Island, where in one home the crockery was broken and books were scattered all over the room. It was felt by almost everybody in Cold Bay; a light crackling sound was heard; buildings swayed; lamps rocked 10-15 cm on a west-east axis; the duration of the oscillation was 40 seconds. A tsunami with an amplitude of 15 cm was recorded on Unalaska Island (Reference #414).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unalaska, Dutch Harbor, AK, AK | United States | 117 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI doubtful | United States | 3,849 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS doubtful | US Territories | 7,463 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1965The 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 1971.