-
Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 9. The death toll was about 20,000 people. They used modern technology to find out that the tsunami produced waves that were at least 20 feet high. When the earthquake occurred most people were celebrating All Saints' Day in church. Most of the people killed were worshipers. Not long after the earthquake occurred subsequent fires broke out. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
Back when Krakatoa erupted, we did not have seismographs so the magnitude is unknown. The death toll of the earthquake was more than 36,000 people. The height of the wave was around 120 feet tall. The eruption affected the climate and caused the temperatures to drop all around the world. The tsunami happened after the volcano collapsed into the sea. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
The magnitude of the earthquake was an 8.1. The death toll was about 160 people. The wave height of the tsunami ranged from 45-130 feet. The tsunami destroyed the Scotch Cap Lighthouse on Unimark Island. The waves were travelling 500 miles per hour across the ocean. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 9.5. The death toll was 61 people. In less than 15 minutes after the earthquake a tsunami hit with a 5 meter wave. The final wave that hit was 11 meters high. Over 2 million people were left homeless, and over 3,000 people were injured. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 9.2. The death toll was about 130 people. The maximum height waves were 70 meters. Right away, once the earthquake occurred the tsunami sprung up. Four minutes after it started the village of Chenega was crushed. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 7.8. The death toll was 120 people. The waves ranged from 5 to 10 meters in height. It destroyed $600 million worth in property. It took between 2 to 7 minutes after the earthquake for the tsunami to hit the coasts of Okushin Island. -
Papua New Guinea Quake (Papua New Guinea)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 7.1. The death toll was more than 2,100 people. The heights of the waves ranged between 10 to 15 meters high. A submarine landslide generated the earthquake that then triggered the tsunami. The tsunami wiped out the entire villages of Sissano, Warapu, Arop, and Malomo. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
The magnitude of the earthquake is a 9.1. The death toll was about 230,000 people. The wave height was around 30 meters in some places. The tsunami hit Sumatra 25 minutes after the earthquake. The tsunamis that occurred became known as the Boxing Day Tsunamis. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
The magnitude of the earthquake was an 8.1. The death toll was about 200 people. The wave height was 46 feet at its highest. In some areas the water reached elevations greater than 15 meters above sea level. Wave heights and the amount of damage varied from village to village. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
The magnitude of the earthquake was an 8.8. The death toll was about 700 people. The waves were as high as 50 feet. The tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean at 450 miles per hour. The Chilean town of Constitucion suffered the most damage. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 9.1. The death toll was over 20,000 people. More than 120,000 buildings were destroyed. The financial damage from the disaster is about $199 billion. The tsunami caused a cooling system failure at the Fukoshima Nuclear Power Plant resulting in a level 7 meltdown to happen. -
Sulawesi Earthquake
The magnitude of the earthquake was a 7.5. The death toll was at least 2,100 people. The wave heights were as high as 6 meters. More than 70,000 houses were damaged. More than 2,500 people were injured, and almost 75,000 people were displaced.
