Historic Earthquakes
Andreanof Islands, Alaska
1957 03 09 14:22:31 UTC
Magnitude 8.6
This great earthquake
destroyed two bridges on Adak Island, damaged
houses, and left a 4.5 meter crack in a road. On Umnak
Island, part of a dock was destroyed, and Mount
Vsevidof erupted after being dormant for 200 years.
Further, this shock generated a 15 meter tsunami that
smashed into the coastline at Scotch Cap and an 8 meter
tsumani that washed away many buildings and damaged
oil lines extensively at Sand Bay. This tsunami
continued to Hawaii, where is destroyed two villages
and inflicted about $5 million in property damage on
Oahu and Kauai Islands. The tsunami also caused
minor damage in San Diego Bay, California,
before traveling to such distant countries as Chile,
El Salvador, Japan, and other areas in the Pacific
region. More than 300 aftershocks were reported
along the southern edge of the Aleutians, from
Unimak Island to Amchitka Pass.
Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.
Links
N.B.: The Andreanof Islands, Alaska earthquake of 1957 03 09, previously listed with a magnitude of 9.1, has had its magnitude reviewed, and it was updated to 8.6.
