Date in year · 1958 · The 1950s

July 9, 1958

On July 9, 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. Jean-Marc Pilorget, Gabi Delgado-López, Malcolm Marshall would arrive in the same year.

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1958

1950s

Featured · July 9, 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.

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.

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Around 1958

The year in brief

1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1958th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 958th year of the 2nd millennium, the 58th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1950s decade.

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What happened

On July 9, 1958

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.

Geologic events off the Alaska coast

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.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1958

The class of 1958

Others born in 1958

Jean-Marc Pilorget 1958– French footballer and manager

Gabi Delgado-López 1958– Spanish-German singer, co-founder of D.A.F. (died 2020)

Malcolm Marshall 1958– Barbadian cricketer and coach (died 1999)

Viacheslav Fetisov 1958– Russian ice hockey player and coach

Andie MacDowell 1958– American model, actress, and producer

Yoshito Usui 1958– Japanese illustrator (died 2009)

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July 9, 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.

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.