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Lisbon, Portugal Earthquake
Produced a tsunami that crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached up to 23 feet (7 meters). Killed an estimated 20,000 people. The violent shaking of the earthquake demolished large public buildings and about 12,000 dwellings. A large part of the population were attending events because it was All Saints’ Day, the day the earthquake occurred which was November 1st, 1755. Magnitude 9 -
Krakatoa Explosion, Sunda Strait
The Krakatoa Volcano erupted in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. It caused the top of the volcano to collapse into the ocean. Explosions could be heard as far away as 2,200 miles. The collapse triggered a series of tsunamis recorded as far away as South America and Hawaii. The greatest wave reached a height of 120 feet and took 36,000 lives. -
Aleutian Islands Earthquake
This Earthquake produced a tsunami that killed 159 people in the Hawaiian Islands, 5 in Alaska, and 1 in California. Waves from the tsunamis reached Alaska which reached a height of 115 feet. The waves in the Hawaiian Islands reached 30 feet and caused $26 million damage. Magnitude 8.1 -
Great Chilean Earthquake, Southern Chile
An earthquake in Chile triggered a tsunami that reached all the way to the Hawaiian Islands (6,200 miles away) 15 hours later. The waves reached nearly 35 feet. The tsunami killed 61 people in the Hawaiian Islands and caused millions of dollars in damage. Magnitude 9.5 -
Great Alaskan Earthquake, Prince William Sound Region Alaska
An earthquake occurred in south central Alaska in 1964 that could be felt on land over an area of almost 502,000 square miles. Triggered tsunami damage that occurred as far away as Crescent City, California. Maximum height of the waves were reported to be 70 meters high (230 feet). Killed about 130 people in Alaska and California. Magnitude 9.2 -
Hokkaidō earthquake, Sea of Japan
This 7.8 magnitude earthquake produced one of the largest tsunamis in Japan’s history. The tsunami’s waves reached up to 15-30 meters. Extensively damaged several coastal towns. 185 total fatalities were confirmed, 120 of those fatalities from the tsunami. The tsunami caused around $600 million of damage. Magnitude 7.8 -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake
The catastrophic tsunami followed after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. The tsunami killed around 2,100 people, injured around 1,000 people, and displaced over 10,000 people. Heights of the tsunami reached up to 15 meters on a 25-kilometer stretch. Magnitude 7.1 -
Indian Ocean Earthquake, Sumatra, Indonesia
Over the next seven hours of the earthquake, a tsunami triggered by the quake reached out across the Indian Ocean and devastated coastal areas as far away as East Africa. Reported height of waves in different locations have been over 9 meters (30 feet). The tsunami killed about 230,000 people across a dozen countries. Tens of thousands were reported dead or missing in Sri Lanka and India. Magnitude 9.1 -
Samoa Earthquake, Southern Pacific Ocean
Earthquake generated a tsunami that killed around 200 people. The tsunami waves reached up to 22 meters (72 feet). The tsunami destroyed houses, swept cars out to sea, and some villages were completely annihilated. Over $200 million dollars in damages. At least two separate earthquakes occurred within 2-3 minutes of each other and this is an extremely rare event known as a “doublet.” Magnitude 8.1 -
2010 Chile Earthquake, Coast of Central Chile
An severe earthquake occurred off the coast of south-central Chile which caused widespread damage on land. This triggered a tsunami that devastated some coastal areas of the country that killed about 700 people in coastal towns. Waves reached up to 15 meters (50 feet) high. Magnitude 8.8 -
Tōhoku Earthquake, Pacific Coast of Tōhoku
This magnitude 9.1 earthquake produced a tsunami that killed over 20,000 people. The effects of the great earthquake were felt around the world. Around 150,000 people lost their homes, 120,000 buildings were destroyed, 278,000 were half-destroyed, and 726,000 were partially destroyed. $199 billion of damage and total economic damage would reach up to $235 billion. Magnitude 9.1
