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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
On November 1st, 1755, a massive earthquake hit Lisbon Portugal at a staggering Magnitude 9. A short while later it was followed up by a large tsunami that completely destroyed the city. This earthquake goes by the nickname, "The Great Lisbon Earthquake". Over 20,000 people lost their lives in this event. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
On August 26th, 1883, an eruption from the nearby volcano Krakatoa erupted with a VEI of 6. Soon after a tsunami was formed that devastated the local villages on nearby land and islands killing around 36,000 people. This eruption released what is the loudest sound ever recorded by mankind in history. The explosion was so powerful that it sent ashe flying upwards to 50 miles into the atmosphere. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
On April 1st, 1946, an earthquake struck Alaska at a magnitude of 8.1. This earthquake created a tsunami that traveled all the way to Hawaii and devastated it and becoming of the worst events in Hawaiian history. This tragedy also woke people up to the realization that they needed some sort of early warning system. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
On May 23rd, 1960, a magnitude 9.5 earthquake hit the country of Chile. The earthquake produced a tsunami killing 61 people and destroying many structures. The earthquake was recorded as the most powerful tremor in history. Also, was recorded as the most powerful megathrust in history. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
On March 27th, 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake hit the coast of Alaska. The earthquake produced a massive tsunami killing 130 people. Was called "Good Friday", because the event happened on a friday. This event is recorded as the most powerful earthquake in US history. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
On July 12th, 1993, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Hokkaido Japan killing 120 people. The tsunami made from the earthquake wiped out most of the towns. The tsunami did far more damage then the earthquake in this event. Recorded as one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan in its history. -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)
On July 17th, 1998, a maginitude 7.1 earthquake hit the country of Papua New Guinea killing over 2,100 people. It caused a tsunami that came 10-25 mins after the earthquake. Many accounts say that the sea looked as if it was boiling. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
On December 26th, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake hit Sumatra killing over 230,000 people. The megathrust happened under the sea. This event caused a tsunami peaking at a height of 30ft (9 Meters) by time it hit the shore, wiping everything and everyone out. The most destructive tsunami to happen in the 2000s. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
On September 29th, 2009, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit the Samoan Islands killing 200 people. Due to the 2004 disaster warning systems had been built to ward against tsunamis and earthquakes giving the people of Samoa time to react. The tsunami at its peak was 72ft (22meters) tall at the shoreline. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
On February 27th, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile. It produced a tsunami that reached a peak height of 29 meters at the shoreline. The tsunami killed 700 people. This event destroyed over 81,000 homes. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
On March 11th, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck Japan. The earthquake produced a tsunami that peaked at 133ft at shoreline and killed over 20,000 people. The tsunami also caused a nuclear disaster due to flooding of a nuclear power plant. This caused over 450,000 people to be displaced and become homeless. -
Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
On September 27th, 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit Sulawesi. The tsunami created by the earthquake hit a height of 35ft at shoreline, and killed 4,340 people. This event further affected over 2.1 million people.