Deadly Tsunamis-Sarah Burdenski

Lisbon, Portugal

Nov 1, 1775

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 9
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 20,000 people
The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 is often called the “big” or “great” one of the most devastating earthquakes in the history of mankind.

Krakatoa, Sundra

Aug 27, 1883

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 8
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: over 36,000
It destroyed 165 villages .

Aleutians (Alaska earthquake) , Hawaii islands

Apr 1, 1946

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 8.1
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 160
The wave reached Kauai, Hawaii 4.5 hours after the quake, and Hilo, Hawaii 4.9 hours later.

Chile Earthquake, Hawaii

May 22, 1960

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 9.5
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 61
It traveled for 15 hours over the pacific.

Alaska Earthquake, Alaska and California

Mar 27, 1964

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 9.2
Death toll from the resultant tsunami:130
It was caused by the sudden failure of a fault, or fracture, 20 to 50 kilometers below the surface.

Sea of Japan, Okushiri Japan

Jul 12, 1993

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 7.8
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 120
As the monster wave hit the smaller outlying Okushiri, at least five boats moored in the island's Aonae Harbor simultaneously burst into flames.

Papua New Guinea

Jul 17, 1998

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 7.1
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 2100
The earthquake struck the north coast region of Papua New Guinea, 16 miles from the coast near Aitape, and caused a large undersea landslide, which in turn caused a tsunami that hit the coast.

Sumatra earthquake, Indonesia

Dec 26, 2004

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 9.1
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 230,000
The tsunami generated by the earthquake was recorded nearly world-wide and killed more people than any other tsunami in recorded history, almost 230,000 missing and presumed dead.

Samoa earthquake

Sep 29, 2009

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 8.1
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 200
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center recorded a 3-inch rise in sea.

Chile earthquake

Feb 27, 2010

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 8.8
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 700
The earthquake occurred at the destructive plate margin where the South American plate is subducted by the Nazca Plate. The earthquake was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks.

Japan Tsunami

Mar 11, 2011

Magnitude of the Earthquake: 9.2
Death toll from the resultant tsunami: 20,000
The most powerful earthquake recorded in Japan since 1900, when seismic recording devices were first used, and it is the fourth most powerful ever detected worldwide.