Tsunami Timeline

  • Lisbon Earthquake - Portugal

    The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.5-9.0. The death toll was around 40,000-50,000 people. The earthquake occurred on All Saint's Day causing many people to be killed in churches when buildings and cathedrals collapsed. Powerful aftershocks continued for days after the initial shock, making rescue and rebuilding nearly impossible at first.
  • Krakatoa Eruption - Java/Sumatra

    The magnitude of the eruption was a VEI of 6. The death toll was 36,417 people. The loudest explosion occurred on August 27, 1883, and was heard over 3,000 miles away. In some areas near the volcano, complete darkness lasted for over two days after the eruption.
  • Aleutian Earthquake - Alaska

    The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.8. The death toll was 173 people. The tsunami traveled over 2,000 miles across the Pacific and struck Hilo, Hawaii, about 4.5 hours later with wave heights of 55 feet. The tsunami was recorded in California, Chile, and Japan.
  • Great Chilean Earthquake - Chile

    The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.5. The death toll was 1,887 people. The quake released energy equivalent to about 2,000 atomic bombs of the size dropped on Hiroshima. The rupture stretched over 800 miles, which is nearly the length of Southern Chile.
  • Good Friday Earthquake - Alaska

    The magnitude of the Earthquake was 9.2-9.3. The death toll was 131 people. The shaking was felt over 500,000 square miles, which was from Canada to the West Coast of the United States. The quake lasted longer than 4 minutes, causing violent ground waves and deep cracks in the earth.
  • Hokkaido Earthquake - Japan

    The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.8. The death toll was 230 people. The effects of the earthquake were part of the largest seismic event in Japan since 869 AD. The earthquake produced tsunamis up to 133 feet in northern Japan.
  • Papua New Guinea Earthquake - Papua New Guinea

  • Sumatra Earthquake - Indonesia

  • Samoa Earthquake - Samoan Islands

  • Chile Earthquake - Chile

  • Tohoku Earthquake - Japan

  • Sulawesi Earthquake - Indonesia