Rat Islands
Shemya Island has been the scene of two major earthquakes. The 1965 Rat Islands earthquake, measuring 8.7 on the moment magnitude scale, occurred on 3 February. It was followed by severe aftershocks and a tsunami, but damage was limited to cracks in the taxiways. The 1975 Near Islands earthquake, measuring 7.6 (surface wave magnitude), occurred on 1 February. A high degree of damage occurred to the runways and hangars and communications were disrupted for a short time.