Most Damaging Tsunamis

Lisbon Earthquake- Portugal

Nov 1, 1755

The Lisbon Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0 and the death toll was approximately 20,000. This earthquake was the first earthquake studied scientifically to evaluate effects over large areas. Also, this earthquake was felt in Finland, North Africa, Greenland, and the Caribbean.

Krakatoa Eruption- Java/Sumatra

Aug 26, 1883

The eruption had a recorded VEI of 6, ranking the explosion as "colossal" killed over 36,000 civilians. The eruption could be heard from over 3,00 miles away. The aftermath of the eruption displayed a red sky, and the painting "The Scream"'s red background was based off the Krakatoa eruption.

Aleutian Earthquake- Alaska

Apr 1, 1946

This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and killed approximately 160 people. The tsunami waves destroyed a recently constructed Coast Guard lighthouse, killing all five members inside the lighthouse. The 1946 tsunami had little effect on the Alaskan mainland, due to the presence of the Aleutian Islands, which absorbed the brunt of the tsunami's power, shielding the mainland. .

Great Chilean Earthquake- Chile

May 23, 1960

This earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5 (most powerful earthquake recorded) and the death toll was about 61 people. The earthquake was caused by a subduction of the Nazca Plate. The waves set off by the earthquake bounced back and forth across the Pacific Ocean for a week.

Good Friday Earthquake- Alaska

Mar 27, 1964

This earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2 The death toll exceeded over 130 civilians. The world rang like a bell for several weeks from the earthquake waves.In 1964 dollars the damage totaled $300 million (in 2013 dollars that would be $2.3 billion)

Hokkaido Earthquake- Japan

Jul 12, 1993

This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 and a death toll of approximately 120 people. The maximum tsunami run-up height was documented to be as much as 31 meters. Following the tsunami, over 700 fishing boats in the sea of Japan were severely damaged or lost.

Papua New Guinea Quake- Papua New Guinea

Jul 17, 1998

This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and killed more than 2,100 people. The maximum height of the tsunami waves was 10-15 meters ( 32-49 feet). Some massive blocks were carried a distance of 50-60 meters in the tsunami.

Sumatra Earthquake- Indonesia

Dec 26, 2004

This had a magnitude of 9.1 and a death toll of over 230,00 people. The impact of the earthquake was believed to have the energy of 23,000 atomic bombs. The 600 mile rupture forced trillions of rocks to be moved, causing the largest magnitude of an earthquake in 40 years.

Samoa Earthquake- Samoan Islands

Sep 29, 2009

This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and around 200 people killed during the quake. The waves were estimated at a length of 60 miles. Following the disaster, Scientists found traces of an asteroid that possibly created the giant tsunami wave.

Chile Earthquake- Chile

Feb 27, 2010

This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8 and the death toll resulted in approximately 700 people. The center of the earthquake was located 12.5 miles at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The earthquake was caused by a rupture of a 300-375 mile fault stretching from the South American Plate to the Nazca Plate.

Tohoku Earthquake- Japan

Mar 11, 2011

This earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1 and a death toll of over 20,000 civilians. The earthquake was caused by the Pacific Plate diving up beneath into the mantle. The earthquake produced a low-frequency rumble, infrasound, which traveled into space and was detected by a Groce satellite.