The 1965 Rat Islands earthquake occurred at 05:01 UTC, on 4 February (19:01, 3 February local time[1]). It had a magnitude of 8.7 and triggered a tsunami of over 10 m on Shemya Island,[2] but caused very little damage.
The earthquake was associated with a 600 km long rupture along the plate boundary, based on the distribution of aftershocks.[4] The pattern of energy release suggest the presence of three asperities along the plate interface, each causing a pulse of moment release. Modelling of the tsunami supports the idea that the earthquake consisted of three sub-events, related to three structural 'blocks' within the overriding plate.[5]
The main shock was followed by an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 nearly two months later, that triggered a small tsunami.[1] This was not an aftershock, but a normal fault event within the outer rise of the subducting plate, triggered by the earlier event.[6]
Flooding from the tsunami caused $10,000 worth of damage on Amchitka Island.[2] Minor damage from the earthquake was recorded on both Attu and Shemya islands in the form of cracks in runways.