Most Damaging Tsunamis

Lisbon Earthquake (portugal)

Nov 1, 1755

Occurred at about 9:40 local time with a magnitude of 8.5-9 on the moment magnitude scale. This earthquake caused a tsunami and scattered fires destroying most of Lisbon and the surrounding areas. Over all there was anywhere from 10,000 to 100,00 casualties.

Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)

Aug 26, 1883

This eruption caused over 20 million tons of sulfur to be released into the atmosphere creating a volcanic winter with temperatures averaging around 33 degrees F for five years. The total death toll was 36,417. No magnitude of the earthquakes this eruption created were recorded but they could be felt as far away as Australia.

Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)

Apr 1, 1946

This Earthquake had a magnitude of 8.6. This huge earthquake caused tsunami waves ranging from 45 to 130 feet in height. This event cause 165-173 casualties and was classified as a tsunami earthquake because of the unexpected size of the following tsunami.

Great Chilean Earthquake

May 23, 1960

This earthquake was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The magnitude was 9.4-9.6. Tsunamis created from this earthquake damaged southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia and the Aleutian Islands creating 3.31-6.62 billion dollars in damages. Anywhere from 1000 to 7000 people were killed.

Good Friday Earthquake

Mar 27, 1964

This earthquake was the second largest recorded in human history with a magnitude of 9.2. There was two types of tsunamis that occurred as a result of the earthquake,a tectonic tsunami creating the biggest wave and then smaller tsunamis created from underwater landslides. All together this event caused 139 deaths and $311 million in damages

Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)

Jul 12, 1993

The earthquake happened in the sea of Japan with a magnitude of 7.7. The following tsunami engulfed the majority of Okushiri causing 165 casualties on that island and 230 in total. Since this event there has been new escape routes put in place as well as more household broadcast receivers.

Papa New Guinea Quake (Papa New Guinea)

Jul 17, 1998

This magnitude 7.1 earthquake created a tsunami from a submarine landslide, 2,100 people were killed because of this. This earthquake happened 19 miles beneath the earths surface.

Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)

Dec 26, 2004

This earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1-9.3 and was the third largest recored in history. The cause of the earthquake was a rupture along the fault between the Indian and Burma plate. There was a series of tsunamis following the quake with waves up to 100 feet high. There was 227,898 casualties and $19.9 Billion in damages.

Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)

Sep 29, 2009

This earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and was the largest quake of 2009. The following tsunami created was 46 feet high killing 189 , sadly most of them were children.

Chile Earthquake (2010)

Feb 27, 2010

The 2010 earthquake had a magnitude of 8.8. The intense shaking lasted for about 3 minutes and 80% of chile's population felt it. The tsunami caused by this devastated several coastal towns ultimately killing 525 people and leaving 25 others missing.

Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)

Mar 11, 2011

This was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in japan with a magnitude of 9.0-9.1. In japan it is often referred to as "The Great East Japan Earthquake" The tsunami triggered by this quake had waves reaching up to 133 feet high and traveled 6 miles inland. The total death toll was 15,896 and 2,537 went missing.