1964 Prince William Sound, Ak tsunami

Key facts

Date

Mar 28, 1964, 3:36 AM UTC

Cause

Earthquake and landslide

Magnitude

M9.2

Depth

25 km

Maximum documented water height

51.8 m

Deaths

139

Houses destroyed

many (about 101–1,000)

Damage

US$ 400 million

Observation records

426

Countries affected

27

Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.

Tsunami arrival times

Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.

1. 0:00 hEarthquake (origin) · Mar 28, 1964, 3:36 AM UTC
2. 0:01 hUnited States · Chenega, Ak · 21.34 m
3. 2:05 hCanada · Tasu Sound, British Columbia · 0.96 m
4. 4:51 hUSA Territory · Midway Islands · 0.10 m
5. 5:28 hRussia · Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka · 0.02 m
6. 6:04 hJapan · Abashiri · 0.13 m
7. 6:06 hMexico · Ensenada · 1.19 m
8. 7:45 hKiribati · Christmas Island, Line Islands · 0.05 m
9. 8:09 hMarshall Islands, Rep. Of · Enewetak, Marshall Islands · 0.10 m
10. 9:24 hMicronesia, Fed. States Of · Truk Islands, Caroline Islands · 0.06 m
11. 11:16 hGuatemala · San Jose · 0.09 m
12. 11:42 hEl Salvador · Acajutla · 0.20 m
13. 11:49 hPapua New Guinea · Rabaul, New Britain · 0.30 m
14. 12:24 hCosta Rica · Quepos · 0.20 m
15. 12:24 hNicaragua · Corinto
16. 12:48 hPanama · Puerto Armuelles · 0.15 m
17. 12:51 hEcuador · San Cristobal Island · 0.58 m

165 places with a documented arrival time

Observations by country

Country	Observation records	Maximum documented water height	Deaths	Earliest arrival
United States	275	67.1 m Cliff Mine, Valdez Inlet	124	0:01 h
Canada	25	9.80 m Shields Bay, British Columbia	—	2:05 h
French Polynesia	3	2.00 m Taiohae, Nuku Hiva	—	—
New Zealand	6	1.25 m Lyttelton	—	18:34 h
Mexico	8	1.19 m Ensenada	—	6:06 h
Chile	8	1.05 m Arica	—	13:54 h
Peru	4	0.97 m Callao la Punta	—	14:20 h
Japan	60	0.75 m Ofunato	—	6:04 h
Ecuador	2	0.64 m La Libertad	—	12:51 h
Antarctica	2	0.49 m Vernadsky Faraday, Argentine Isl	—	21:49 h
Russia	3	0.40 m Yuzhno-Kuril'sk, Kunashir Island	—	5:28 h
Papua New Guinea	1	0.30 m Rabaul, New Britain	—	11:49 h
USA Territory	5	0.20 m Johnston Island	—	4:51 h
Colombia	3	0.20 m Bahia Solano	—	14:09 h
El Salvador	2	0.20 m Acajutla	—	11:42 h
Costa Rica	2	0.20 m Quepos	—	12:24 h
Australia	4	0.15 m Fort Denison, Sydney Harbor	—	16:54 h
Marshall Islands, Rep. Of	2	0.15 m Kwajalein, Marshall Islands	—	8:09 h
Panama	2	0.15 m Naos Is, Canal Zone, Pacific Coast	—	12:48 h
Argentina	1	0.12 m Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego	—	—
Guatemala	1	0.09 m San Jose	—	11:16 h
Taiwan	1	0.08 m Hualien	—	—
Micronesia, Fed. States Of	1	0.06 m Truk Islands, Caroline Islands	—	9:24 h
Kiribati	2	0.05 m Christmas Island, Line Islands	—	7:45 h
China	1	0.02 m Hong Kong	—	—
Samoa	1	—	—	—
Nicaragua	1	—	—	12:24 h

Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.

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