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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
There were three distinct quake shocks over a ten-minute period. It was a magnitude of 9 killing about 20,000 people. The first shock was followed by a more powerful second shock, which sent buildings toppling. Soon after the earthquake, several fires broke out 40 minutes after the quake, an enormous tsunami wave engulfed the harbor. -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
Krakatoa is one of many volcanoes located along an area around the pacific basin, where two huge tectonic plates meet. These two plates, the Indo-Australian and Eurasian, constantly colliding, resulting in volcanic activity. It was a (VEI), killing more than 36,000 people. This 1883 eruption generated the loudest sound ever reported in history. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
The earthquake generated a tsunami that struck 5 hours after, with wave heights reaching an estimated 115 feet in Alaska. This killed about 160 people at a staggering magnitude of 8.1. As a result of this disaster, the United States established the seismic sea wave warning system to provide coastal communities with warning of approaching tsunamis. -
Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)
The earthquake's tremor triggered a giant tsunami which caused destruction and deaths as far away as Japan, killing 61 people with a magnitude of 9.5. This earthquake was caused by the release of mechanical stress due to the subduction of the Nazca plate under the South American plate along the Chile-Peru trench. *Mega thrust earthquake -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
The most powerful earthquake to be recorded in North America. Second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Earth's history. On that Friday, the pacific and north plates ruptured, releasing around 500 years of stress buildup, killing 130 people at magnitude of 9.2. The earthquake triggered about 21 tsunamis. -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
The earthquake produced one of the largest tsunamis in Japan's history. These events killed about 2,100 people. More than half the deaths were attributed to the tsunami. At a magnitude of 7.1, there was about 600 million in property loss. -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)
The event occurred on a reverse fault near the north coast region of Papua New Guinea and caused large undersea landslides which caused a tsunami. This killed more than 2,100 people at a magnitude of 7.1. The tsunami raised awareness among scientists of the potential for small earthquakes to trigger large tsunamis if they cause undersea landslides. -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
The earthquake generated a series of towering waves which could travel at 80 km/h in shallow water. The 9.1 quake ruptured a 900-mile stretch of fault line where the Indian and
Australian tectonic plates meet. This tragically killed 230.000 people. -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
The deadly tsunami was caused by at least two 8.1 earthquakes occurring within 2-3 minutes of each other near the Tonga Trench, one of the most seismically active areas. The devastation extended beyond the 200 human casualties, with over 200 million in damages. The islands were both destroyed physically and emotionally. -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
Stress brought on the convergence of the two tectonic plates caused rocks to shatter along the boundary, killing about 700 people at a 8.8 quake. This forced a portion of the seabed upward, displacing the water above, triggering the tsunami. A study published August 14th noted that the temblor triggered small earthquakes in Antartica. It was the first evidence that earthquakes could trigger secondary seismic events in the Antarctic's ice sheets. -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
A tsunami was generated by the 9.1 earthquake arrived at the coast in 30 minutes, overtopping seawalls and disabling three nuclear reactors within days. The 2011 event resulted from the thrust faulting on the Pacific and North American plates, killing over 20,000 people. -
Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
Following a main shock, a tsunami alert was issued and sent via sms by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information. The 7.5 earthquake caused major soil liquefaction, this caused mud flows in which many buildings became submerged. In the end it killed more than 2,000 people.