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Lisbon Earthquake
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Magnitude: ~M 9
Deaths: 20,000
Facts: (1) November 1st is All Saints Day and people attended Mass; the building was not supportive enough so it collapsed and killed many of the worshipers (2) The earthquake was a result of faulting of the seafloor along the mid-Atlantic plate boundary. -
Krakatoa Volcano Eruption
Location: Sundra Strait
Magnitude: Tsunami produced ~115 ft wave
Deaths: 30,000
Facts: (1) One of the most deadly volcanic eruptions of modern history (2) Eruption also affected the climate and caused the temperature to drop all over the world. -
Aleutians Earthquake
Location: Alaska (produced a tsunami in the Hawaiian Islands
Magnitude: ~M 8.1
Deaths: 160
Facts: (1) Occurred 13,000 ft beneath the ocean's surface (2) The tsunami grew up to 100 ft and headed towards the city at 500 mph -
Valdivia Earthquake
Location: Valdivia, Chile (Began along the coast of Chile and affected Hawaii
Magnitude: ~M 9.5
Deaths: 61
Facts: (1) Largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century (2) Only lasted approximately 10 minutes -
Alaska Earthquake
Location: Alaska and California
Magnitude: ~M 9.2
Deaths: 130
Facts: (1) Lasted approximately 4.5 minutes (2) Most powerful earthquake in US History -
Sea of Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
Location: Okushiri Island, Japan
Magnitude: ~M 7.8
Deaths: 120
Facts: (1) One of the largest tsunamis in Japanese history (2) Property losses have been estimated $600 million -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake
Location: Papa New Guinea
Magnitude: ~M 7.1
Deaths: 2,100
Facts: (1) This earthquake triggered a submarine landslide, producing 3 deadly tsunamis (2) One wave measured up to 50 ft tall -
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Location: Island of Sumatra
Magnitude: ~M 9.1
Deaths: 230,000
Facts: (1) This tsunami lasted a devastating 7 hours (2) Many of the victims were non-Asian vacationers. They were either reported as dead or missing. -
Samoa Earthquake
Location: South West Pacific Ocean (Samoa Islands)
Magnitude: ~M 8.1
Deaths: 200
Facts: (1) This earthquake was rather unusual because it occurred near ocean trenches (2) This wave reached a height of 72 ft -
Chile Earthquake
Location: Coast of Central Chile
Magnitude: ~M 8.8
Deaths: 700
Facts: (1) The earthquake was a result of a straight-forward dip of the Nazca Plate (2) The economic losses totaled $30 billion -
Japan Earthquake
Location: Tohoku, Japan
Magnitude: ~M 9.1
Deaths: 20,000
Facts: (1) The earthquake only lasted 6 minutes but caused devastating damage (2) The tsunami formed due to an undersea megathrust earthquake lying at the epicenter of the Pacific Ocean