Most Damaging Tsunamis

Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)

Nov 1, 1755

This Earthquake has a Magnitude of 9. The estimated death toll of 20,000 people. This earthquake pointed out political tensions in Portugal. A week after the quake, over 90% of the buildings had either collapsed, flooded, or burned. Including the 70,000 royal library, the royal Ribeira Palace and the whole Baixa District.

Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)

Aug 26, 1883

This Earthquake has a Magnitude of 6. It destroyed 165 villages and killed more than 36,000 people. It has an explosive force of 200 megatons of TNT. For comparison, the bomb that devastated Hiroshima had a force of 20 kilotons, nearly 10,000 times less explosive as this eruption.

Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)

Apr 1, 1946

This Earthquake has a Magnitude of 8.1. It killed about 160 people. Has a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VI (Strong). This event caused $26 million in damage. Most of the seismicity along the Aleutian arc results from thrust faulting that occurs along the interface between the Pacific and North America Plates.

Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)

May 23, 1960

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 9.5. It killed 61 people and left 2 million people homeless. The rupture zone stretched from estimates ranging 311mi-621mi along the country's coast

Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)

Mar 27, 1964

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 9.2. It killed about 130 people. The rupture started approximately 25km beneath the surface. The epicenter is about 6 miles East of the mouth of College Fiord. It lasted approximately 4.5 minutes. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in US history.

Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)

Jul 12, 1993

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 7.8. It killed 239 people. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Sea of Japan/East sea about 15-30 km off the small offshore island of Okushiri along the West Coast of Hokkaido. More than half of the deaths were attributed to the tsunami with a total of 558 houses destroyed.

Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)

Jul 17, 1998

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 7.1. It killed more than 2,100 people and occurred on a Reverse Fault near the North Coast region of Papua New Guinea. It caused a large undersea landslide which caused a tsunami that hit the coast, killing at least 2,000 people and injuring thousands.

Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)

Dec 26, 2004

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 9.1. It killed about 230,000 people. The Sumatra-Andamen earthquake caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Estimated to have released energy equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs.

Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)

Sep 29, 2009

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 8.1. It killed about 200 people. Two large earthquakes struck midway between Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory. The earthquakes generated tsunami waves up to 22m that engulfed the shores.

Chile Earthquake (Chile)

Feb 27, 2010

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 8.8. It killed about 700 people. There was intense shaking that lasted about 3 minutes. It had a maximum intensity IX (Violent). It spawned by a straight forward dip of the Nazca Plate as it slips east ward under the continents crust.

Tohoko Earthquake (Japan)

Mar 11, 2011

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 9.1. It killed over 20,000 people. This was the most powerful earthquake recorded in Japan since 1900, when seismic recording devices were first used. It was the 4th most powerful earthquake ever detected worldwide. People in Japan felt shaking for 3-5 minutes.

*Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)

Sep 27, 2018

This Earthquake has a magnitude of 7.5. It killed 4,340 people. A shallow, large earthquake struck in the neck of the Minahasa Peninsula, Indonesia. The epicenter is located in the mountainous Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi.