The Deadliest Tsunamis Ever - Christian Smith

Lisbon Earthquake, Portugal

Nov 1, 1755

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 20,000 people. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9. The earthquake and tsunami happened on a religious holiday in Portugal. Many people also drowned because they went to the river for safety however they didn't think about the tsunami.

Krakatoa Eruption, Java/Sumatra

Aug 26, 1883

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 36,000 people. It had an unknown magnitude. It caused a drop in temperature in the northern hemisphere the following year. Something that is super cool is that some people say that it may have a relation to the masterpiece painting "The Scream".

Aleutian Earthquake, Alaska

Apr 1, 1946

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 160 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 8.1. The damage cost was around 26 million for this earthquake. The tsunamis caused a lot of damage. It also wasn't just one main tsunami, it was actually multiple deadly waves ranging from 45-130 feet tall.

Great Chilean Earthquake, Chile

May 23, 1960

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 61 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 9.5. The earthquake was actually a megathrust earthquake. The epicenter for the earthquake was by Lumaco, and the tsunamis were mainly responsible for the damage in this disaster.

Good Friday Earthquake, Alaska

Mar 27, 1964

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 130 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 9.2. The earthquake happened around 15 miles below Prince William Sound. The tsunamis from the earthquake were the main reason for all of the deaths. There were actually deaths in Oregon and California from tsunamis triggered by the earthquake.

Hokkaido Earthquake, Japan

Jul 12, 1993

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 720 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 7.8. The aftershock from the earthquake measured a magnitude around 5.3. That is crazy because that in itself is almost as strong as a damaging earthquake. There were around 2.5 million homes that lost power after the earthquake and tsunami. There are actually still aftershocks to this day in that area from the original earthquake.

Papua New Guinea Quake, Papua New Guinea

Jul 17, 1998

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 2,100 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 7.1. Three successive tsunamis hit the area directly after the earthquake. One of the tsunamis actually ended up creating a lagoon in the area. The earthquake's epicenter was also 12 miles offshore which explains the multiple tsunamis.

Sumatra Earthquake, Indonesia

Dec 26, 2004

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 230,000 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 9.1. The earthquake caused killer waves to slam into the coasts of multiple countries. These countries were 11 countries ranging from Africa to Thailand. The tsunamis from the earthquake traveled as far as 3,000 miles into Africa.

Samoa Earthquake, Samoan Islands

Sep 29, 2009

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 200 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 8.1. There was apparently a rise in the sea level from this earthquake and following tsunamis. The sea level rose 3 inches. The waves from the earthquake measured up to a max height of 14 meters. That might not be high but many of those waves were the cause of a lot of damage to the islands. The earthquake also occurred near the Ring of Fire.

Chile Earthquake, Chile

Feb 27, 2010

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 700 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 8.8. The Chilean army deployed 10,000 troops to help rebuild devastated areas in Chile. The Chilean government also had to pay $236,300 to families who lost victims of the tsunamis and earthquake.

Tohoku Earthquake, Japan

Mar 11, 2011

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 20,000 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 9.1. Japan is still recovering from this earthquake. To this day they still have buildings that aren't fully rebuilt, and many homes that have not been rebuilt as well. Victims who lost their house and constantly being relocated. Researchers think that the reason the plates were able to slide an extreme distance (164 feet) is that there was a thick layer of clay.

Sulawesi Earthquake, Indonesia

Sep 27, 2018

This deadly earthquake killed an estimated 2,000 people. The magnitude for this earthquake was 7.5. There were around 65,000 homes that were destroyed. There is also more than 300,000 people homeless as of right now. There are 340,000 people who are displaced as well. There was a series of aftershocks that seriously affected North and East Lombock