Worst Tsunamis in History - By Alex G.

Libson Earthquake - Portugal

Nov 1, 1755

The Magnitude 9 Libson Earthquake killed about 20,000 people. The tsunami rushed up the Tagus river so fast that several people riding on horseback were forced to gallop at top speed in search of higher ground for fear of being swept away. Waves reached 66ft and swept the coast of Northern Africa.

Krakatoa Eruption - Java/Sumatra

Aug 26, 1883

Tsunamis following the Krakatoa Eruption were believed to be caused by gigantic pyroclastic flows entering the sea. This extremely dangerous chain of events took the lives of over 36,000 people and tsunami waves reached 50ft.

Aleutian Earthquake

Apr 1, 1946

Following the 8.1 Magnitude earthquake, a 100-foot tsunami stuck the area of Scotch Cap 48 minutes later. The tsunami killed 160 people including all five members of the lighthouse crew at Scotch Cap.

Great Chilean Earthquake - Chile

May 23, 1960

Following the 9.5 Magnitude earthquake, a tsunami hit Chile with waves of 82 feet. The waves were traveling hundreds of km/h, and devastated the coastline.

Good Friday Earthquake - Alaska

Mar 27, 1964

The largest tsunami wave caused by this devastating earthquake reached an incredible 220ft in height. Many smaller tsunamis reached over 20 countries following the earthquake, causing most of the damage. The tsunamis killed 130 people.

Hokkaido Earthquake - Japan

Jul 12, 1993

This 7.8 Magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that had a max run up of 32 meters. It inundated large parts of Okushiri despite there being tsunami defenses in place prior to the disaster.

Papua New Guinea Earthquake

Jul 17, 1998

The earthquake triggered massive undersea landslides, with then triggered a chain reaction and led to a large tsunami. The tsunami killed 2,100+ people. This series of events raised awareness among scientists of the potential for small earthquakes to trigger large devastating tsunamis.

Sumatra Earthquake - Indonesia

Dec 26, 2004

This 9.1 magnitude earthquake happened because the Indian tectonic plate was subducted by the Burma plate. It then caused a tsunami which had waves reaching 100ft high reaching 14 countries. It killed upwards of 230,000 people, one of the highest death tolls by an earthquake and tsunami.

Samoa Earthquake - Samoan Islands

Sep 29, 2009

This 8.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 46 feet at their highest. A memorial was later dedicated to the 200 tsunami victims who passed away, and was unveiled in the village of Leone American Samoa on February 25, 2012.

Chile Earthquake - Chile

Feb 27, 2010

This 8.8 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 10 feet at Pichilemu. The area of Constitucion suffered the worst damage, and approximately 700 lives were lost.

Tohoku Earthquake - Japan

Mar 11, 2011

This 9.1 magnitude earthquake spawned a tsunami reaching heights of 133 feet in Miyako, Iwate, and Tohoku. The tsunami inundated a total area of approximately 561km^2 in Japan.