Deadly Tsunamis - Elisabeth Roman

Libson Earthquake (portugal)

Nov 1, 1755

This earthquake had a magnitude of M9 and killed about 20,000 people. The tsunami had wave heights of 23 ft or more in the West Indies. It disrupted the country's 18th century colonial ambitions . After the tsunami a fire broke out and a fire raged for 5 days.

Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)

Aug 26, 1883

This eruption had a VEI of 6 and killed more than 36,000 people. The tsunami after had waves of 116 ft high. 165 coastal villages were destroyed. Only 1/3 of Krakatoa remained above sea level. The volcanic dust acted as a solar radiation filter.

Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)

Apr 1, 1946

This earthquake had a magnitude of M8.1 and killed more than 160 people. The US established a seismic sea wave warning system after this earthquake. A class was on the beach when the waves hit and only the teacher and two kids survived after hours of being in the water. There was approximately $300 million in damage.

Great Chilean Earthquake (Chile)

May 23, 1960

This earthquake had a magnitude of M9+ and it killed more that 61 people. 2 million were left homeless after this earthquake. There was about $550 million in damage and it also caused damage to Hawaii, the U.S. and Japan.

Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)

Mar 27, 1964

This earthquake had a magnitude of M8.3 and killed 130 people. Aid came almost immediately after with food, clothing, and entertainment. The ground water was determined unstable so they had to leave. 62 buildings were moved to a new location so they could live there.

Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)

Jul 12, 1993

This earthquake had a magnitude of M7.8 and killed 120 people. The two shocks only lasted for 20 seconds and 35 seconds. A landslide occurred after the earthquake. It occurred on the convergent boundary beneath the eurasian plate.

Papua New Guinea Quake (Papua New Guinea)

Jul 17, 1998

This earthquake had a magnitude of M7.1 and killed more than 2100 people. This earthquake raised awareness among scientists of the potential for small earthquakes to trigger large tsunamis. Thought to have been caused by a drop in the Pacific Plate. Many villages were destroyed.

Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)

Dec 26, 2004

This earthquake had a magnitude of M 9.1 and killed more than 230,000 people. This earthquake was caused by two plates that were stuck together finally unsticking. Many islands were uplifted and some doubled in size. Waves have grown to 100 ft high in some places.

Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)

Sep 29, 2009

This earthquake had a magnitude of M8.1 and killed about 200 people. 200 homes and buildings were destroyed and there was $200 million in damage. The people only had 15 minutes to evacuate before the tsunami arrived.

Chile Earthquake (Chile)

Feb 27, 2010

This earthquake had a magnitude of M8.8 and killed about 700 people. The focus was at a depth of 22 miles. It shifted the earth's axis just enough to shorten the day by 1 microsecond.

Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)

Mar 11, 2011

This earthquake had a magnitude of M9.1 and killed about 720,000 people. 50,000 people still have temporary housing and there is $235 billion in economic costs. It caused a cooling system failure at a Nuclear Plant.

Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)

Sep 27, 2018

This earthquake had a magnitude of M7.5 and killed 1,374 people. Their airport was closed so relief workers came by road. They started treating people outside of a hospital because the hospital was too damaged to use.