The 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake occurred on July 9, 1958, at 22:15:58 PST with a moment magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The strike-slip earthquake took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a rockslide of 30 million cubic meters and about 90 million tons into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska. The impact was heard 80 kilometers (50 mi) away, and the sudden displacement of water resulted in a megatsunami that washed out trees to a maximum elevation of 524 meters at the entrance of Gilbert Inlet. This is the largest and most significant megatsunami in modern times; it forced a re-evaluation of large-wave events and the recognition of impact events, rockfalls, and landslides as causes of very large waves.
A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed.
On July 9, in the year 1958, A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of July 9, one of 426 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on July 9, 1958 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
- The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
- Wikipedia source last updated on 20 June 2026.
On This Date in History 426
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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