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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
The Lisbon Earthquake in Portugal took place on November 1st, 1755. The magnitude of the tsunami was a 9, and the death toll was estimated at about 20,000 people. The quake lasted about three and a half to six minutes. November 1st was All Saints day where the mass of the population was in churches. These churches were unfit for the shaking, and even worse the quake generated a tsunami with over 20 foot waves. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
The Krakatoa Eruption between the islands of Java and Sumatra occurred on August 26th, 1883. The magnitude was estimated at about a 6. The death toll was more than 36,000 lives. The 1883 eruption was not the first time that Krakatoa erupted. The volcano erupted over several months, not just days. The largest and most devastating volcanic tsunami. The extremely energetic explosive eruption produced multiple waves. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
The Aleutian Earthquake in Alaska was on April 1st, 1946. The magnitude of the quake was an 8.1. The estimated death toll was about 160 people. The quake and tsunami caused over $26 million in damages. The tsunami waves reached more than 100 feet above sea level, and destroyed the newly built U.S. Coast Guards scotch cap lighthouse. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
The Great Chilean Earthquake in Chile occurred on May 23rd, 1960. The magnitude of the quake was estimated at about 9.5. The death toll was 61 lives. The economic damage totaled to about $550 million (more than $4.8 billion adjusted to today's economy). The earthquake was the largest to ever be recorded. The quake triggered a massive tsunami that raced across the Pacific. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska happened on March 27th, 1964. The magnitude of the quake was 9.2. The death toll was about 130 lives. On that Friday the Pacific and North American plates ruptured, releasing around 500 years of stress buildup. The quake lasted about 4.5 minutes, and caused a large tsunami. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
The Hokkaido Earthquake occurred in Japan on July 12th, 1993. The magnitude of the quake was estimated at 7.8. The death toll was around 120 deaths'. It had an estimated length of 150 kilometers with a displacement of 2.5 meters. The quake produced the largest tsunami in Japanese history. Within 2-5 minutes extremely large waves engulfed the Okushiri coastline. -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)
The Papua New Guinea Earthquake occurred on July 17th 1998.It had a magnitude of 7.1, and killed more than 2,100 lives. The quake was a reverse fault that caused a large undersea landslide which then caused a tsunami that hit the coast. Three catastrophic waves devastated entire villages including Sissano, Warapu, Arop, and Malomo. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
The Sumatra Earthquake in Indonesia occurred on December 26th, 2004. The magnitude was about 9.1, and an estimated death toll at about 230,000. The quake was an undersea megathrust earthquake reaching a Mercalli intensity up to IX in certain areas. The quake was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate. Some locations reported that the tsunami waves reached a height of 30 feet or more. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
The Samoa Earthquake happened on September 29th, 2009. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1. The death toll was estimated to be about 200 lives. Two large quakes struck midway between Samoa and American Samoa. The quakes generated tsunami waves of up to 22 meters that engulfed the shores. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
The Chile Earthquake occurred on February 27th, 2010. It was recorded at a magnitude of 8.8. The death toll was estimated at about 700. The quake was caused by the Nazca and South American plates converging. Tsunami then generated waves which recorded heights of 29 meters and coastal uplift of 2 meters. This caused over $30 billion in damages. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
The Tohoku Earthquake in Japan was on March 11th, 2011. It had an estimated magnitude of 9.1, and killed over 20,000 people. It was caused by an undersea megathrust quake which had an epicenter in the Pacific ocean. This region has a high rate of seismic activity with the potential to generate huge and many tsunamis. -
Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
The Sulawesi Earthquake in Indonesia occurred on September 27th, 2018. The magnitude was around 7.5, and the death toll was at least 4,340 casualties. The quake caused a tsunami which warnings were sent out about the large waves approaching by SMS. The tsunami had the largest generated waves at about 35 feet. The earthquake also caused landslides, foreshocks, and aftershocks.