-
Lisbon Earthquake - Portugal
The Lisbon Earthquake had a magnitude of 8.5 and a death toll of 70,000. The Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on All Saints Day, so people lit candles, which were knocked over and created fires. The event was felt in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and the damages traveled as far as Algeria, Ireland, the Caribbean, and Brazil. -
Krakatoa Eruption - Java/Sumatra
The Krakatoa Eruption had a VEI of 6 and a death toll of 36,000. After the Earthquake and following Tsunami, people began to observe a vivid afterglow after sunset, due to particles in the atmosphere that scattered sunlight. This event also became one an early example of crowd sourcing data as reports were sent in around the world because of the Krakatoa Committee. -
Aleutian Earthquake - Alaska
The Aleutian Earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and had a death toll of 165, including the following Tsunami. Succeeding this event, the United States established the now called Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The Tsunami waves were about 115 feet in Alaska and 30 feet in Hawaii. Hawaii received the distant Tsunami wave, while Alaska received the local wave. -
Great Chilean Earthquake - Chile
The Great Chilean Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5, a death toll of 1,655 deaths, and 3,000 injuries. The Earthquake and Tsunami left 2 million people homeless. Shockingly, the Tsunami wave that hit the coastline was 35 feet tall even after hitting 15 hours after the initial quake. Two days after, the Cordon Caulle Volcano in Chile's Lake District erupted after 40 years of inactivity. -
Good Friday Earthquake - Alaska
The Good Friday Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2 and a death toll of 131. The Earthquake was the second largest quake recorded since 1900. Due to the quake, the coastlines near Kodiak and Hinchinbrook were permanently raised by 30 feet. There were also thousands of aftershocks for three weeks and in the first day, there were eleven aftershocks with magnitudes over 6.2. -
Hokkaido Earthquake - Japan
The Hokkaido Earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 and a death toll of 185. In just 30 minutes, the Tsunami propagated to Russia and struck South Korea after 90 minutes. After the destruction, two battery operated clocks were discovered stopped at 2237 and 2248. -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake - Papua New Guniea
The Papua New Guinea Earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 and a death toll of at least 1,600. The Tsunami that followed had 3 waves and was caused by a submarine landslide. The waves of the Tsunami reached 49 feet. -
Sumatra Earthquake - Indonesia
The Sumatra Earthquake had a 9.1 magnitude and a death toll of approximately 230,000. The Earthquake released energy that is equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima type atomic bombs. The waves of the Tsunami traveled across the Indian Ocean at 500 mph. Indonesia ultimately falls between the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Alpide Belt, which are very active. -
Samoa Earthquake - Samoan Islands
The Samoa Earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 and 8.1 and a death toll of at least 192. This Earthquake was considered an extremely rare event called a doublet. Three major waves hit and the highest of the three stood at 72 feet tall and the Earthquake occurred 120 miles off the coast of the islands. -
Chile Earthquake - Chile
The Chile Earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8 and a death toll of 525. The Earthquake was caused by a rupture along the fault that runs under the South American Plate where the Nazca Plate subducts. The event caused a blackout for several days and many countries like Brazil, China, and Argentina provided aid. -
Tohoku Earthquake - Japan
The Tohoku Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1 and a death toll of over 18,000. the wave height of the following Tsunami was 130 feet and disable the cooling systems of the power plants, creating a nuclear accident. Following the Tsunami, thousands of victims were never recovered. -
Sulawesi Earthquake - Indonesia
The Sulawesi Earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5 and a death toll of more than 2,000. The following Tsunami had waves 1.5 meters high and led to 210,000 people being displaced. Following the disaster, Australia also sent defense forces including; 9 C-130, 1 c-17, and 1 c-130 flights with essential supplies and food.