Lituya Bay tsunami evidence, tree rings. This section was cut in 1953 from a spruce tree growing in Lituya Bay, Alaska, USA, just above an area damaged by a giant wave that hit the area in 1853-54. There are 100 growth rings outside the injured area at right (black). Five years later, another tsunami occurred in Lituya Bay on 9 July 1958. The tsunami reached a height of 524 metres, and was the largest ever recorded. It was caused by a landslide of 30 million cubic metres of mountainside, loosened by an earthquake. This image is part of a series taken by D.J. Miller of the United States Geological Survey, showing the area before and after the 1958 tsunami.