List of tsunamis
Date Location Main Article Primary Cause Description
≈1.4 Ma Molokai , Hawaii East Molokai Volcano Landslide A third of the East Molokai Volcano collapsed into the Pacific Ocean , generating a tsunami with an estimated local height of 2,000 feet ( 610 m ) . The wave traveled as far as California and Mexico
≈7000-6000 BC Lisbon , Portugal Unknown A series of giant boulders and cobbles have been found 14 m above mean sea level near Guincho Beach
≈6225-6170 BC Norwegian Sea Storegga Slide Landslide The Storegga Slide ( s ) , 100 km north-west of the Møre coast in the Norwegian Sea , caused a large tsunami in the North Atlantic Ocean . The collapse involved ~290 km of coastal shelf , and a total volume of 3,500 km of debris . Based on carbon dating of plant material from sediment deposited by the tsunami , the latest incident occurred around 6225-6170 BC . In Scotland , traces of the tsunami have been found in sediment from Montrose Basin , the Firth of Forth , up to 80 km inland and 4 metres above current normal tide levels
5,500 BP Northern Isles Garth tsunami Tsunami of unknown origin The tsunami may be responsible for contemporaneous mass burials
≈1600 BC Santorini , Greece Minoan eruption Volcanic eruption The volcanic eruption on Santorini , Greece is assumed to have caused severe damage to cities around it , most notably the Minoan civilization on Crete . A tsunami is assumed to be the factor that caused the most damage
Prehistoric
This article lists notable tsunamis, which are sorted by the date and location that the tsunami occurred. Because of seismic and volcanic activity associated with tectonic plate boundaries along the Pacific Ring of Fire, tsunamis occur most frequently in the Pacific Ocean, but are a worldwide natural phenomenon. They are possible wherever large bodies of water are found, including inland lakes, where they can be caused by landslides and glacier calving. Very small tsunamis, non-destructive and undetectable without specialized equipment, occur frequently as a result of minor earthquakes and other events. Around 1600 BCE, a tsunami caused by the eruption of Thira devastated the Minoan civilization on Crete and related cultures in the Cyclades, as well as in areas on the Greek mainland facing the eruption, such as the Argolid. The oldest recorded tsunami occurred in 479 BCE. It destroyed a Persian army that was attacking the town of Potidaea in Greece. As early as 426 BCE, the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War (3.89.1-6) about the causes of tsunamis. He argued that such events could only be explained as a consequence of ocean earthquakes, and could see no other possible causes.