August 8, 2008 Tsunami: Kasatochi Volcano, Aleutian Is, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Kasatochi Volcano, Aleutian Is, AK, United States on August 8, 2008. The water rose as high as 0.19 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- August 8, 2008
- Source
- Kasatochi Volcano, Aleutian Is, AK, United States
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Maximum water height
- 0.19 m (0.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Warning
- No warning issued
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 52.180° N, 175.500° 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.
A volcanic eruption, preceded by a swarm of magnitude 3.0 to 5.8 earthquakes, was first observed at 2217 UTC (1417 AKDT) on 07 August 2008, and was located at Kasatochi Volcano. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported three major explosive eruptions at Kasatochi volcano between approximately 2230 UTC (1430 AKDT) on 07 August and 0500 UTC on 08 August (2100 AKDT on 07 August). Ash from these explosions reached at least 45,000 ft above sea level. The volcanic eruption produced a 19-cm amplitude tsunami measured at the Adak, Alaska tide gauge at 0324 UTC on 08 August 2008. The tsunami was also recorded at Atka, Alaska with a maximum amplitude of 7 cm. (reference #2582)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adak, Sweeper Cove, AK, AK | United States | 85 | 0.19 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 8, 03:24 | ||
| Atka Island, AK, AK | United States | 91 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2008The 2000sTsunamis of United StatesThe eruptionThis 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 3587.