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Most damaging tsunamis

  • Lisbon Earthquake, Portugal

    Lisbon Earthquake, Portugal
    In the year of 1755 a magnitude earthquake of 8.5 hit Lisbon, this tsunami had a death toll of around 70,000 and occurred early in the morning. The massive amount of loss was caused in a short period of time, at the most being six minutes.
  • Krakatoa Eruption, Java/ Sumatra

    Krakatoa Eruption, Java/ Sumatra
    The eruption of Krakatoa is seen as one of the most violent earthquakes in history, all the way up to present times. With a magnitude of VEI 6 and a death toll of 36,000 this eruption caused serious damage to the landscape.
  • Aleutian Earthquake, Alaska

    Aleutian Earthquake, Alaska
    This earthquake had a strong magnitude of 7.4 with a death toll of around 165-173. Although the death toll wasn't the highest, this 115 foot wave caused over 26 million dollars in property damaged around 420 million dollars in todays money.
  • Great Chilean Earthquake, Chile

    The most power temblor in recorded history with an insane magnitude of 9.5. This
  • Papua New Guinea Earthquake

    Papua New Guinea Earthquake
    The magnitude of the 1998 Papua New Guinea Earthquake was a 7.0. Around 2700 people were killed during this event. When the initial earthquake hit, families in the coastal villages were gathered for their evening meals.
  • Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)

    Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
    The magnitude of the 2004 Sumatra earthquake was a 9.1. This ended up with a death poll of around 230,000 people. The earthquake was felt in 14 countries and left around 1.7 million people displaced.
  • Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)

    Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
    The magnitude of the earthquake was a 8.3. The death poll was around 190 people. People were able to evacuate to higher ground after the initial shaking before the tsunami arrived saving lives.
  • Chile Earthquake (Chile)

    Chile Earthquake (Chile)
    The magnitude was a 8.8. The death poll ended up being over 500 people. The tsunami caused waves as high as 50ft in Constitucion and nearly 8ft in Talcahuano.
  • Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)

    Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
    The magnitude was an 8.8. The death poll was over 500 people. The electrical grid was so weak people were left in daylong blackouts in mid marc because a transformer failed
  • Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)

    Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
    The magnitude of this earthquake was a 7.5. Over 2000 people died. The Australian Government committed $10.25 million to support the Indonesian Government and humanitarian partners who were helping the communities rebuild.