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(Redirected from Aleutian Island earthquake)

The '1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake' was an earthquake near the Aleutian Islands on April 1, 1946. It was followed by a Pacific-wide tsunami. The earthquake was a magnitude 7.8, with its epicenter at 52.8°N, 163.5°W, and focal depth of 25 km. It resulted in 165 casualties (159 people on Hawaii and six in Alaska) and over $26 million in damages. It prompted the creation of the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System, which later became the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949. [1]Scientists think the tsunami may have started from an earthquake triggering a landslide.
The tsunami is locally known in Hawaii as the 'April Fools Day Tsunami' in Hawaii due to people thinking the warnings were an April Fools prank.