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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
In combination with subsequent fires and a tsunami, the earthquake destroyed Lisbon and the areas around it. Along with the earthquake and resulting fires, Tsunami waves that crossed the Atlantic Ocean amplified to heights of 7 meters. This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.5-9 and the death toll was 20,000 people -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra
Over 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago were destroyed as it collapsed. Violent explosions of Krakatoa volcano in the Sundra strait between Java and Sumatra caused the top of the volcano to collapse into the ocean. This eruption was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history. The magnitude was a 6 and the death toll was over 120,000 people. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
It produced a tsunami in the Hawaiian Islands that was unusually powerful for the size of the earthquake. The event was classified as a tsunami earthquake due to the discrepancy between the size of the tsunami and the relatively low surface wave magnitude. The large-scale destruction prompted the creation of the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System, which later became the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949. The magnitude of the tsunami earthquake was 8.6 and the death toll was 36,000 people. -
Great Chilean Earthquake
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake of 22 May is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The earthquake triggered a tsunami traveling for 15 hours across the Pacific Ocean. The magnitude was a 9.4-9.6 and the death toll was more than 36,000 people. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The Alaska earthquake was a subduction zone earthquake caused by an oceanic plate sinking under a continental plate.These smaller tsunamis were produced by submarine landslides and were responsible for the majority of the tsunami damage. The earthquake tsunami's magnitude was a 9.2 and the death toll was only around 130 people. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
The earthquake occurred in the backarc region of the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate. The earthquake shaking caused moderately severe damage, VIII on the Mercalli scale. The earthquake caused a magnitude of 7.7 and the death toll was around 120 people. -
Papu New Guinea Quake (Papua New Guinea)
The event occurred on a reverse fault near the north coast region of Papua New Guinea. The earthquake consisted of a main shock and several aftershocks that were felt in several towns in the area around the epicenter and caused a large undersea landslide which caused a tsunami that hit the coast. The magnitude was 7.0 and the death toll was between 2,100-2,800 people. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
This earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate were subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean. It is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.3 and the death toll was about 230,000 people. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
A tsunami was generated which caused substantial damage and loss of life in Samoa. The earthquake occurred on the outer rise of the Kermadec Tonga subduction zone which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere meet and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1 and the death toll was about 200 people. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
The earthquake took place along the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, at a location where they converge. The earthquake took place along the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, at a location where they converge The earthquake took place along the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates at a location where they converge. The magnitude was a 8.8 and the death toll was around 700 people. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
The Tohoku Earthquake was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 133 feet and the earthquake caused sinking of part of Honshu's Pacific coast by up to roughly a meter. The magnitude of the earthquake was a 5.0 and the death toll was over 20,000 people.
