top 5 Tsunamis

Phenomenon: 5 deadliest tsunamis

1. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake.The resulting tsunami itself is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami.
The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunami along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people in eleven countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were the hardest hit.
With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches)and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.
The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a widespread humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $7 billion (2004 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid. (From Wikipedia)
2. 1755 Lisbon earthquake , also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, took place on 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning.The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires, which caused near-total destruction of Lisbon in Portugal, and adjoining areas. Geologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake approached magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 km (120 mi) west-southwest of Cape St. Vincent. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people, making it one of the most destructive earthquakes in history.
The earthquake accentuated political tensions in Portugal and profoundly disrupted the country's eighteenth-century colonial ambitions. The event was widely discussed and dwelt upon by European Enlightenment philosophers, and inspired major developments in theodicy and in the philosophy of the sublime. As the first earthquake studied scientifically for its effects over a large area, it led to the birth of modern seismology and earthquake engineering.(From Wikipedia)
3. 1908 Messina earthquake/tsunami On December 28, 1908 at 5:21 am an earthquake of Richter magnitude 7.5 occurred centered on Messina, a city in Sicily. Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland also suffered heavy damage. The ground shook for some 30 to 40 seconds, and the destruction was felt within a 300 km radius. Moments after the earthquake, a 40 feet (12 m) tsunami struck nearby coasts causing even more devastation. 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed and some 100,000 residents out of 150,000, were killed. Rescuers searched through the rubble for weeks, and whole families were still being pulled out alive days later. Buildings in the area had not been constructed for earthquake resistance, having heavy roofs and vulnerable foundations.
The cause of this earthquake is due to normal faulting between plates. Italy sits along the boundary zone of the African Continental plate and this plate is pushing against the seafloor underneath Europe at a rate of 1-inch (25 mm) per year. This causes vertical displacement which in turn can cause earthquakes.[3] Recently it has been proposed that the concurrent tsunami was not generated by the earthquake, but rather by a large undersea landslide it triggered.(From Wikipedia)
4. 1883 Krakatoa eruption The most destructive tsunami in the Sunda Straits occurred on August 26, 1883, when Krakatoa volcano erupted. The eruption was heard 4600 kilometers away and the ensuing 40-meter-high tsunami killed 36000 people. ``We felt a small tremor, and everything is ...The most destructive tsunami in the Sunda Straits occurred on August 26, 1883, when Krakatoa volcano erupted. The eruption was heard 4600 kilometers away and the ensuing 40-meter-high tsunami killed 36000 people. We felt a small tremor, and everything is running normal here,'' said Deni Rulianto, a front desk officer at Tanjung Lesung Resort Hotel in Carita beach in Banten province in the western part of Java. Rulianto said they didn't instruct hotel guests to evacuate ...From Indonesia Hit by Second Major Quake in Three Days
5. 1707: Kochi Prefecture, Japan On October 28, 1707, during the Hōei era, an 8.4 earthquake and tsunami 25.7-meter-high struck at the Kochi Prefecture (a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.). More than 29,000 houses in total wrecked and washed away and about 30,000 deaths. In Tosa, 11,170 houses washed away and 18,441 people drowned. About 700 drowned and 603 houses washed away in Osaka. 20 m high at Tanezaki, Tosa, 6.58 at Muroto. Hot springs at Yunomine, Sanji, Ryujin, Seto-Kanayana (Kii) and Dogo (Iyo,145 days) stopped.FromWikipedia