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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M9. The death toll was 20,000. The earthquake produced a tsunami with waves about 20ft high at Lisbon and 65ft high at Cadiz, Spain. Many people were killed by drowning and in fires in Lisbon for about 6 days following the shock. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/ Sumatra)
The earthquake had a VEI of 6. The death toll was 36,000. The volcanic eruption generated the loudest sound recorded in history. The sound wave travelled the world 7 times over the following 5 days. The volcano poured gas and ash into the atmosphere making the average temperature lower for the next year. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M8.1. The death toll was 160. The tsunami struck Hawaii without warning nearly 5 hours after it struck Alaska. Waves reached an estimated height of 115ft in Alaska and averaged 30ft in Hawaii. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M9.5. The death toll was 61. It was one of the largest earthquakes recorded in the 20th century. There were a series of foreshocks the previous day that warned of the impending disaster. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M9.2. The death toll was 130. The shaking from the earthquake lasted for more than 4 minutes. The only building that survived the tsunami wave intact was a schoolhouse, built 100ft above sea level. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M7.8. The death toll was 120. The tsunami was one of the largest in Japan's history. Property losses totaled in at $600 million due primarily to the tsunami damage. -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M7.1. The death toll was 2,100. Scientists determined that a submarine landslide generated by the earthquake actually produced the tsunami. The tsunami was one of the deadliest of the century. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M9.1. The death toll was 230,000. The earthquake that caused the tsunami is estimated to have released energy equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. The tsunami's waves traveled across the Indian Ocean at 500 mph, the speed of a jet plane. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M8.1. The death toll was 200. The Samoa earthquake generated waves up to 72ft. The tsunami destroyed villages with over $200 million in damages. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M8.8. The death toll was 700. Only a small amount of earthquake damage occurred thanks to the strong earthquake building code. Few people were killed in the tsunami due to the pre-event preparedness and education from past tsunamis and disasters. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M9.1. The death toll was 20,000. The Tohoku earthquake was the strongest earthquake in Japan's recorded history. The tsunami produced waves up to 132ft in height. -
Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
The magnitude of the earthquake was M7.5. The death toll was 4,300. Hundreds of people were on the beaches when the tsunami struck because tsunami alarms were not activated. Tsunami waves reached heights of 20ft.