Tsunamis from the 1964 Alaska earthquake (M9.2) killed 12 people in California and caused damage in Japan and Hawaii. Tsunamis can travel for a very long distan

Tsunamis from the 1964 Alaska earthquake (M9.2) killed 12 people in California and caused damage in Japan and Hawaii. Tsunamis can travel for a very long distance in open ocean. Alaska is pretty close to Asia, especially if you look at the great circle distance. Cargo planes from China, Korea, and Japan normally refuel in Anchorage, and before the extended range of modern passenger jets, most passenger planes also had a refueling stop there. In 1983, KAL Flight 007, a Boeing 747 passenger airliner en route from New York to Seoul, was shot down by the Soviet Union after departing Anchorage and inadvertently entering Soviet airspace.