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Great Libson Earthquake
The earthquake causing the tsunami was extremely intense, as it was estimated to be a level 9 earthquake. The earthquake, along with the tsunami and fire it created throughout Libson, killed an estimated 60,000 people. Considering the day the earthquake occured was "All Saints Day", there was a mass gathering near the curches in Portugal; the buildings collaped in on them. The waves of the tsunami crossed the Atlantic Ocean and amplified to heights of over 7 meters when they hit the West Indies. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
On August 25, 1883, there were heavy eruptions spewing from Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies. The explosions culminated into a final one on the 27th that was so loud that it burst the eardrums of sailors 64 km from the volcano. The explosion caused the top of it to collapse into the ocean, causing a tsunami more than 35 meters high to destroy 165 villages and over 36,000 people in total. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
The magnitude of the earthquake was very strong at a magnitude of 8.1. The earthquake caused a massive tsunami in the Hawaiian Islands that resulted in about 165 casualties and $26 million in property damage. The earthqake was unusually powerful considering its relatively small size. The ensuing danger from the earthquake actually helped give a reason to create the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
Also known as the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, it was exrutiatingly powerful, clocking in at a magnitude of 9.5. To date, it is the MOST powerful earthquake EVER recorded. The earthquake produced a tsunami that, after traveling across the Pacific Ocean for 15-some hours, killed an estimated 61 people in Hawaii. Waves up to 25 meters destroyed the Chilean coast. The ensuing disasters caused deaths of up to 6,000 people, along with an estimated $6 billion (adjusted for inflation) in property damage. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The earthquake that happened on "Good Friday" was nearly up there with the Valdivia earthquake, clocking in at a magnitude of 9.2. Lasting for about 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the earthquake is the largest recorded in North American history. The tsunamis from the earthquake killed an estimated 130 people in both Alaska and California combined. The tsunamis also caused some damage to China and Japan as well. -
Sea of Japan Earthquake (Japan)
The earthquake was very powerful, measuring a 7.8 on the moment-magnitude scale. The earthquake and tsunamis killed an estimated 120 people on Okushiri, Island, Japan. Of the 104 killed by earthquake, only four people in total survived the following tsunami. The tsunami could only be issued 14 minutes before its impact, and went on to kill 3 people in S.Korea. The earthquake was due largely in part to the liquefaction of the soil, which was the worst in Japan since 1964's Niigata earthquake. -
Papua New Guinea Quake (Papua New Guinea)
The earthquake was a very sever one, being a 7.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake triggered a submarine landslide that created a massive tsunami 15 meters high that caused over 2,100 casualties. Several villages were completely demolished from the tsunami and more severly damaged. The total catastrophe resulted in a total of up to 2,700 deaths. After the tsunami, many people were left unattended, causing gangreen to form and rotting corpses to become increasingly more common. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
One day after Christmas day, 2004, an astoundingly massive earthquake formed that measured at a magnitude of 9.1 in Indonesia. The earthquake and resulting tsunamis were extremely devistating, resulting in the deaths of an estimated total of 230,000 people. The earthquake affected several countries including Sri Lanki. The damage and effects from the tsunamis were so large that a massive fundraiser of over $1.4 billion was sent from those all over the world to help any affected countries. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
The Samoa earthquake is the largest one of 2009, clocking in at a magnitude of 8.1 on the moment-magnitude scale. Shortly after the earthquake, four tsunamis varying from heights of 4.5 to 6 meters hit American Samoa. All in all, the number of casualties rose to an estimated total of 189 people. In response, President Obama sent aid to help those who had had been impacted in American territory. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
The 2010 Chile earthquake isn't as impactful as another one of their's (cough cough) but is still very powerful at a magnitude of 8.8. It is the fifth largest earthquake ever recorded on a Richter scale. The earthquake generated a tsunami that killed an estimated 700 people in coastal towns. The earthquake itself caused the deaths of about 525 people alone. It also caused an estimated $30 billion in property damage and $6 billion in insurance costs. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
This earthquake was an extremely tragic one, clocking in at a magnitude of 9.1 and an estimated 16,000 deaths in Japan alone. The tsunami from the earthquake measuring at 40.6 meters in height hit the Pacific Rim, causing a very high death toll in the thousands. After the didasters, there were over a thousand aftershocks in Japan causing the deaths of at least three people. The disasters also caused the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns soon afterward, which has caused no casuaties as of yet.
