January 23, 2018 Tsunami: Kodiak Island, AK, United States

The Alaska-Aleutians subduction zone has had several large tsunamigenic earthquakes, including the Mw9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 (Figure 2). Tsunamis from earthquakes along this subduction zone have caused significant inundation not only in Alaska but also coastal areas from British Columbia to California as well as Hawaii. Modeling of potential tsunami effects from earthquakes in the Pacific basin have shown that the Alaska-Aleutian trench is one of the most significant tsunami threats to the west coast of North America and the Hawaiian Islands. However, the January 23, 2018, earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska was not within the subduction zone regime, which, along with its strike-slip motion, greatly reduces the potential for generating a large tsunami.

A very small tsunami was generated by the January 23rd earthquake, and detected at a number of tide gauges in Alaska as well as Hawaii and along the U.S. Pacific coast to the southeast. According to initial water-level measurements from the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center website (www.tsunami.gov), the largest tsunami amplitude was recorded at 25cm in Crescent City four to five hours after the earthquake, and in the Alaska region during the first hour of the observed arrival times. There was no observed inundation or significant currents generated by this event in Alaska or other areas around the Pacific Ocean.

(all above from reference #12170)