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A depiction of wave shoaling.

This article lists notable historic tsunamis, which are sorted by the date and location that the tsunami occurred, the earthquake that generated it, or both.

Because of seismic and volcanic activity at tectonic plate boundaries along the Pacific Ring of Fire, tsunamis occur most frequently in the Pacific Ocean, but are worldwide natural phenomena. They are possible wherever large bodies of water are found, including inland lakes, where they can be caused by landslides. Very small tsunamis, non-destructive and undetectable without specialized equipment, occur frequently as a result of minor earthquakes and other events.

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 rightly that it could only be explained as a consequence of ocean earthquakes, and could see no other possible causes for the phenomenon.[1]




Before 1000 CE


426 BCE: Maliakos Gulf, Greece

In the summer of 426 BCE, a tsunami hit hard the Maliakos bay in Eastern Greece.[4] The Greek historian Thucydides (3.89.1-6) described how the tsunami and a series of earthquakes intervened with the events of the raging Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) and correlated for the first time in the history of natural science quakes and waves in terms of cause and effect[5].

373 BCE: Helike, Greece

An earthquake and a tsunami destroyed the prosperous Greek city Helike, lying 2 km away from the sea. The fate of the city, which remained permanently submerged, was often commented upon by ancient writers[6] and may have inspired the contemporary Plato to the myth of Atlantis.

365 CE: Alexandria, Eastern Mediterranean

In the morning of July 21, 365 CE, an earthquake of great magnitude caused a huge tsunami more than 100 feet high. It devastated Alexandria and the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, killing thousands and hurling ships nearly two miles inland.[7][8] The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (Res Gestae 26.10.15-19) describes in his vivid account the typical sequence of the tsunami including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of the sea and a following gigantic wave:


The tsunami in 365 CE was so devastating that the anniversary of the disaster was still commemorated annually at the end of the 6th century in Alexandria as a "day of horror."[9]

Researchers at the University of Cambridge recently carbon dated corals on the coast of Crete which were lifted 10 metres and clear of the water in one massive push. This indicates that the tsunami of 365 CE was generated by an earthquake in a steep fault in the Hellenic trench near Crete. The scientists estimate that such a large uplift is only likely to occur once in 5,000 years, however the other segments of the fault could slip on a similar scale - and could happen every 800 years or so. It is unsure whether "one of the contiguous patches might slip in the future."[10]

684 CE: Hakuho, Japan (白鳳大地震)

Japan is the nation with the most recorded tsunamis in the world.[citation needed] The number of tsunamis in Japan totals 195 over a 1,313 year period (thru 1997), averaging one event every 6.73 years, the highest rate of occurrence in the world.[citation needed]

The Great Hakuho Earthquake was the first recorded tsunami in Japan. It hit in Japan on November 29, 684. It occurred off the shore of the Kii Peninsula, Nankaido, Shikoku, Kii, and Awaji region. It has been estimated to be a magnitude 8.4 [11] It was followed by a huge tsunami, but no estimates on how many deaths.[12]

887 CE: Ninna Nankai, Japan (仁和南海地震)



1293: Kamakura, Japan (鎌倉大地震)


1303: Eastern Mediterranean


1361: Shōhei Nankai, Japan (正平 & 康安)南海地震)


1498: Meiō Nankai, Japan (明応地震)

Sep 20 7.5 Quake and tsunami hit in the Meiō era. Port in Wakayama damaged by tsunami of several meters in height.s 30-40 thousand deaths estimated [11]

1605: Keichō Nankaido, Japan


1607: Bristol Channel, Great Britain


1698: Seikaido-Nankaido, Japan

On December 22, 1698, a large tsunami struck Seikaido-Nankaido, Japan.[11]


1700: Vancouver Island, Canada

On January 26, 1700, the Cascadia earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes on record (estimated MW 9 magnitude), ruptured the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) offshore from Vancouver Island to northern California, and caused a massive tsunami across the Pacific Northwest logged in Japan and oral traditions of the Native Americans. Brian F. Atwater, Musumi-Rokkaku Satoko, Satake Kenji, Tsuji Yoshinobu, Ueda Kazue, and David K. Yamaguch prepared a "scientific detective story" investigating this tsunami entitled The Orphan Tsunami of 1700—Japanese Clues to a Parent Earthquake in North America. This document is downloadable and available online.

1707: Hōei, Japan (宝永大地震)

On October 28, 1707, during the Hōei era, an 8.4 earthquake and tsunami 25.7-meter-high struck at the Kochi Prefecture. 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.[11]

1755: Lisbon, Portugal




1771: Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa, Japan (八重山地震)

An undersea earthquake of estimated magnitude 7.4 occurred near Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa, Japan on 4 April 1771 at about 8 A.M.. The earthquake is not believed to have directly resulted in any deaths, but a resulting tsunami is thought to have killed about 12,000 people, (9313 on the Yaeyama Islands and 2548 on Miyako Islands according to one source([1]). Estimates of the highest seawater runup on Ishigaki Island, range between 30 meters and 85.4 meters. The tsunami put an abrupt stop to population growth on the islands, and was followed by malaria epidemics and crop failures which decreased the population further. It was to be another 148 years before population returned to its pre-tsunami level. ja:八重山地震

1792: Mount Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan (島原大変肥後迷惑)

Tsunamis were the main cause of death for Japan's worst-ever volcanic disaster, due to an eruption of Mount Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It began towards the end of 1791 as a series of earthquakes on the western flank of Mount Unzen which gradually moved towards Fugen-daké, one of Mount Unzen's peaks. In February 1792, Fugen-daké started to erupt, triggering a lava flow which continued for two months. Meanwhile, the earthquakes continued, shifting nearer to the city of Shimabara. On the night of 21 May, two large earthquakes were followed by a collapse of the eastern flank of Mount Unzen's Mayuyama dome, causing an avalanche which swept through Shimabara and into Ariake Bay, triggering a tsunami. It is not known to this day whether the collapse occurred as a result of an eruption of the dome or as a result of the earthquakes. The tsunami struck Higo Province on the other side of Ariake Bay before bouncing back and hitting Shimabara again. Out of an estimated total of 15,000 fatalities, around 5,000 is thought to have been killed by the landslide, around 5,000 by the tsunami across the bay in Higo Province, and a further 5,000 by the tsunami returning to strike Shimabara. The waves reached a height of 330 ft, classing this tsunami as a small megatsunami.


1833: Sumatra, Indonesia

On 25 November 1833, a massive earthquake estimated to have been between 8.7-9.2 on the Ritcher Scale, struck Sumatra in Indonesia. It caused a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which hit hard Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and several other countries around the Indian Ocean. Sumatra, where the quake's epicentre was, was hardest hit, and was hit by waves up to 30 metres high. 171 years later, the exact same area of the Indian Ocean was hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which measured more than 9.0 on the Ritcher Scale, and which caused a tsunami killing more than 230,000.

1854: Nankai, Tokai, and Kyushu Japan (安政南海地震)

The Ansei Quake which hit the south coast of Japan, was actually set of 3 quakes, two magnitude 8.4 quakes and a 7.4 quake all in 3 days.

  • The first on Nov 4, 1854 near what is today Aichi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture with tsunami.
  • It was followed by another 8.4 the next day in Wakayama Prefecture, Earthquake generated a maximum wave of 28 meters at Kochi, Japan, and the earthquake that tsunami killed 3,000 people. The tsunami washed 15,000 homes away. The number of homes destroyed directly by the earthquake was 2,598; 1,443 people died.[11]
  • The third was a 7.4 quake on Nov 7, 1854 in Ehime Prefecture and Oita Prefecture.

The total result was 80,000-100,000 deaths.[14]　

1855: Edo, Japan (安政江戸大地震)

The following year, the 1855 Great Ansei Edo Quake hit (Tokyo region), killing 4,500 to 10,000 people. Popular stories of the time blamed the quakes and tsunamis on giant catfish called Namazu thrashing about. The Japanese era name was changed to bring good luck after 4 menacing quake/tsunamis in 2 years.

1868: Hawaiian Islands

On April 2, 1868, a local earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 7.5 and 8.0 rocked the southeast coast of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. It triggered a landslide on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, five miles north of Pahala, killing 31 people. A tsunami then claimed 46 additional lives. The villages of Punaluu, Ninole, Kawaa, Honuapo, and Keauhou Landing were severely damaged and the village of ʻĀpua was destroyed. According to one account, the tsunami "rolled in over the tops of the coconut trees, probably 60 feet high .... inland a distance of a quarter of a mile in some places, taking out to sea when it returned, houses, men, women, and almost everything movable." This was reported in the 1988 edition of Walter C. Dudley's book "Tsunami!" (ISBN 0-8248-1125-9).

1868: Arica, Chile

On August 16, 1868, an earthquake with a magnitude estimated at 8.5 struck the oceanic trench currently known as the Peru-Chile Trench. A resulting tsunami struck the port of Arica, then part of Peru, killing an estimated 25,000 in Arica and 70,000 in all. Three military vessels anchored at Arica, the US warship Wateree and the storeship Fredonia, and the Peruvian warship America, were swept up by the tsunami.[15]

1883: Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia

The island volcano of Krakatoa in Indonesia exploded with devastating fury on August 26-27, 1883, blowing its underground magma chamber partly empty so that much overlying land and seabed collapsed into it. A series of large tsunami waves was generated from the collapse, some reaching a height of over 40 meters above sea level. Tsunami waves were observed throughout the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and even as far away as the American West Coast, and South America. On the facing coasts of Java and Sumatra the sea flood went many miles inland and caused such vast loss of life that one area was never resettled but went back to the jungle and is now the Ujung Kulon nature reserve.

1896: Meiji Sanriku, Japan (明治三陸地震)

On 15 June 1896, at around 19:36 local time, a large undersea earthquake off the Sanriku coast of northeastern Honshū, Japan, triggered tsunami waves which struck the coast about half an hour later. Although the earthquake itself is not thought to have resulted in any fatalities, the waves, which reached a height of 100 feet, killed approximately 27,000 people. In 2005 the same general area was hit by the 2005 Sanriku Japan Earthquake, but with no major tsunami.


1908: Messina, Italy

The aftermath of the tsunami that struck Messina in 1908.

The 1908 Messina earthquake in Italy, triggered a large tsunami that took more than 70,000 lives.

1923: Kanto, Japan (関東大震災)


1929: Newfoundland

The aftermath of the tsunami that struck Newfoundland in 1929.


1933: Showa Sanriku, Japan (昭和三陸地震)

On March 3, 1933, the Sanriku coast of northeastern Honshū, Japan which had already suffered a devastating tsunami in 1896 (see above) was again stuck by tsunami waves as a result of an offshore magnitude 8.1 earthquake. The quake destroyed about 5,000 homes and killed 3,068 people, the vast majority as a result of tsunami waves. Especially hard hit was the coastal village of Taro (now part of Miyako city) in Iwate Prefecture, which lost 42% of its total population and 98% of its buildings. Taro is now protected by an enormous tsunami wall, currently 10 meters in height and over 2 kilometers long. The original wall, constructed in 1958, saved Taro from yet another destruction from the 1960 Chilean tsunami (see below). ja:昭和三陸地震

1944: Tonankai, Japan (東南海地震)


1946: Nankaidō, Japan (南海地震)

The Nankai earthquake on 21 December 1946 had a magnitude of 8.4 and hit at 4:19 [local time]. There was a catastrophic earthquake on the southwest of Japan in the Nankai Trough. It was felt almost everywhere in the central and western parts of the country. The tsunami that washed away 1451 houses and caused 1500 deaths in Japan. It was observed on tide gauges in California, Hawaii, and Peru.[11]


1946: Aleutian Islands

Residents run from an approaching tsunami in Hilo, Hawai’i.



1952: Severo-Kurilsk, Kuril Islands, USSR

The November 5, 1952 tsunami killed 2,336 on the Kuril Islands, USSR.

1958: Lituya Bay, Alaska, USA

On July 9, 1958, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 on the Richter scale rocked a small inlet in Alaska called Lituya Bay. It then caused part of a mountain at the back of the bay to collapse, creating a landslide that caused a megatsunami that flew headlong through the bay. The wave was measured to be 524 meters (about 1,742 ft) high, making it the highest wave in recorded history. In comparison, this wave was higher than any skyscraper on Earth. It swept up three boats and killed two people aboard two of the boats, but amazingly, the father and son aboard the other boat both survived. They were carried above the forest, and washed back into the bay. The wave stripped hundreds of trees from the mountain slopes.

Damage from the 1958 megatsunami can be seen in this oblique aerial photograph as the lighter-colored areas where trees have been stripped away.

1960: Valdivia, Chile

The magnitude-9.5 Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960 is the strongest earthquake ever recorded. Its epicenter, off the coast of South Central Chile, generated one of the most destructive tsunami of the 20th Century. It also caused a volcanic eruption.



1963: Vajont Dam, Monte Toc, Italy

The Vajont Dam as seen from Longarone today, showing approximately the top 60-70 metres of concrete. The 200-250 metre wall of water (megatsunami) that over-topped the dam would have obscured virtually all of the sky in this picture.

The Vajont Dam was completed in 1961 under Monte Toc, 100 km north of Venice, Italy. At 262 metres, it was one of the highest dams in the world. On October 9, 1963 an enormous landslide of about 260 million cubic metres of forest, earth, and rock, fell into the reservoir at up to 110 km per hour (68 mph). The resulting displacement of water caused 50 million cubic metres of water to overtop the dam in a 250-metre high wave. The flooding destroyed the villages of Longarone, Pirago, Rivalta, Villanova and Faè, killing 1,450 people. Almost 2,000 people (some sources report 1,909) perished in total.

1964: Niigata, Japan (新潟地震)

The 1964 Niigata earthquake in Japan killed 28 people, and liquefacted whole apartment buildings. A subsequent tsunami destroyed the port of Niigata city. ja:新潟地震

1964: Alaska, USA

After the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday Earthquake, tsunamis struck Alaska, British Columbia, California, and coastal Pacific Northwest towns, killing 121 people. The waves were up to 100 feet tall, and killed 11 people as far away as Crescent City, California.This happened on March 27, 1964. The incident was covered in Dennis Powers' The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History (ISBN 0806526823).

1976: Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Philippines


1979: Tumaco, Ecuador


1983: Sea of Japan (日本海中部地震)


1993: Okushiri, Hokkaido, Japan (北海道南西沖地震)

A devastating tsunami wave occurred along the coasts of Hokkaidō in Japan as a result of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, 80 miles (130 km) offshore, on July 12, 1993.

Within minutes, the Japan Meteorological Agency[citation needed] issued a tsunami warning that was broadcast on NHK in English and Japanese (archived at NHK library). However, it was too late for Okushiri, a small island near the epicenter, which was struck with extremely big waves, some reaching 30 meters, within two to five minutes of the quake. Aonae, a village on a low-lying peninsula at the southern tip of the island, was devastated over the course of the following hour by 13 waves of over two meters’ height arriving from multiple directions, including waves that had bounced back off Hokkaidō—despite being surrounded by tsunami barriers. Of 250 people killed as a result of the quake, 197 were victims of the series of tsunamis that hit Okushiri; the waves also caused deaths on the coast of Hokkaidō. While many residents, remembering the 1983 tsunami (see above), survived by quickly evacuating on foot to higher ground, it is thought that many others underestimated how soon the waves would arrive (the 1983 tsunami took 17 minutes to hit Okushiri) and were killed as they attempted to evacuate by car along the village’s narrow lanes. The highest wave of the tsunami was a staggering 31 meters (102 ft) high. ja:北海道南西沖地震

1998: Papua New Guinea

On 17 July 1998, a Papua New Guinea tsunami killed approximately 2,200 people.[17] A 7.1-magnitude earthquake 24 km offshore was followed within 11 minutes by a tsunami about 15 metres tall. The tsunami was generated by an undersea landslide, which was triggered by the earthquake. The magnitude of the earthquake was too low to generate a tsunami. The villages of Arop and Warapu were destroyed.


2004: Indian Ocean

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; Tsunami strikes Ao Nang, Thailand.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had a moment magnitude of 9.0 to 9.3,[18] triggered a series of lethal tsunamis on December 26, 2004, that killed approximately 300,000 people (including 168,000 in Indonesia alone), making it the deadliest tsunami as well as one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. It was also caused by the second-largest earthquake in recorded history. The initial surge was measured at a height of approximately 33 meters (108 ft), making it the largest earthquake-generated tsunami in recorded history. The tsunami killed people over an area ranging from the immediate vicinity of the quake in Indonesia, Thailand, and the north-western coast of Malaysia, to thousands of kilometres away in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and even as far away as Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania in eastern Africa. This trans-Indian Ocean tsunami is an example of a teletsunami, which can travel vast distances across the open ocean. In this case, it is an ocean-wide tsunami.


2006: South of Java Island

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean seabed on July 17, 2006, 200 km south of Pangandaran, a beautiful beach famous to surfers for its perfect waves. This earthquake triggered tsunamis which height varied from 2 meters at Cilacap to 6 meters at Cimerak beach, where it swept away and flattened buildings as far as 400 meters away from the coastline. More than 800 people were reported missing or dead.

2006: Kuril Islands

On 15 November 2006, a great earthquake occurred off the coast near the Kuril Islands. In spite of the quake's large 8.3 magnitude, a relatively small tsunami was generated. The small tsunami was recorded or observed in Japan and at distant locations throughout the Pacific.Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 11:14:16 (UTC)_= Coordinated Universal Time (Local date and time at epicenter: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 10:14:16 PM )Latitude: 46.616°N, Longitude: 153.224°E near the Kuril Islands, Russia USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)The earthquake occurred: 245 miles east of the island of Etorofu (Japanese name) or Iturup (Russian name), which is about 110 miles northeast of Hokkaido, Japan. 440 km () ENE of Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, 443 kilometers (about 277 miles east - northeast of Kuril'sk 500 km (310 miles) SSW of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia and 1650 km (103 miles) northeast of Tokyo, Japan. Magnitude - 8.3

Focal Depth - 28.5 km (17.7 miles)

Aftershocks - There were many aftershocks after the main quake. Four large aftershocks measured 6.5, 6.3, 6.0 and 6.2

Sesimic Activity in the Region - There was significant seismic activity in the region since September 2006 Seismicity of the Northern Japan/Kuril island Region

The Kuril islands and Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions in the world. _Around 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes take place in this region. The seismicity of Northern Japan is the result of a double seismic zone (DSZ), and compressional deep trench and outer rise events and by the magmatic effects of plumes or superplumes which, originally, may have hydrated the subducting oceanic lithosphere. Usually, shallow normal faulting occurs in the trench-outer rise region.

The volcanic Kuril island chain runs from the northern tip of Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It is also a region of high seismic activity.

The area where the November 15, 2006 earthquake occurred had earthquakes over a magnitude of 8.0 in 1952, 1963, 1994 and 2003.

Damages and Death Toll from Earthquake and Tsunami

There were no reports of damage or injuries, according to NHK (Japan). At Hokkaido Prefecture all trains were stopped as a precautionary measure.Tectonic Setting of the Northern Japan/Kuril Island Region

The overall tectonics of northeast Asia are very complicated. Whether the Sea of Okhotsk and the northern Japanese islands are part of the North American plate or of a separate Okhotsk plate has not been determined. On the Pacific Ocean side, earthquake slip vectors along the Kuril and Japan trenches are consistent with either a Pacific-North America or a Pacific-Okhotsk plate motion. We will assume that the Pacific-North America plate motion is better supported.

The Kuril island arc is located between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The Kuril Trench has been formed by the subduction of the Pacific plate under the North American plate. It extends from the offshore central area of Kamchatka to Hokkaido.

The plate tectonics of the Southern Kuril islands-Northern Hokkaido region are quite complex and very different than those along the southern portion of the Japanese Trench. The South Kuril Islands are part of the Kuril arc in the Okhotsk plate which has been colliding westward against the Northeast Japan arc, along the Hidaka Collision Zone (HCZ), where new continental crust is created by active arc-arc collision.

Deep seismic reflection studies (Ito, Kazuka @Abe, 2001) show the lower crust of the Kuril arc to be delaminated at a depth of about 23 km. These studies indicate that the upper half (above 23 km) - consisting of the Earth's upper crust and the upper portion of lower crust of the Kuril arc - is thrusting over the Northeast Japan arc along the Hidaka Main Thrust (HMT). However, the lower half (below 23 km) - consisting of the lower portion of lower crust and upper mantle material - is descending downward.

Ocean bottom morphology of Kamchatka, the Kuril Island Trench, Sakhalin Island, and the Sea of Okhotsk.

As a result of such kinematic processes, the wedge of the Northeast Japan arc is intruded into the delaminated Kuril arc, as the Pacific plate is subducting northward beneath both of the above mentioned structures, thus continuing the arc-arc collision (and continental crust production). The complex, seismo- tectonic kinematic process of this region has been named "Delamination-wedge-subduction system" - which may apply also to other areas where active arc-arc collision and concurrent subduction take place.

Accordingly, Hokkaido - Japan's northernmost island - extends northeast into Kuril Islands and is composed of multiple compressed island arcs. The northern half of Honshū (north of Tokyo), which is Japan's main island, represents a typical mature island arc, while the southern half of the island represents also a typical mature island arc, as the Philippine Sea plate subducts below the Eurasian plate.

On the western side, the Sea of Japan is a complex basin between Japan and the Korea/Okhotsk Sea Basin. It represents another subplate with apparent rotational movement as it interacts against the Okhotsk plate, along the inland sea boundary of the Hidaka Collision Zone (HCZ).

Sakhalin island, north of Hokkaido, which separates the Sea of Japan from the Sea of Okhotsk, is probably the result of transpressional tectonics along the North America-Eurasia boundary.

2007: Solomon Islands

On April 2, 2007, a powerful magnitude 8.1 (initially 7.6) earthquake hit the East Pacific region about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the Solomon Islands at 7:39 a.m., resulting in a tsunami that was up to 17 feet (5 m) tall. The wave, which struck the coast of Solomon Islands (mainly Gizo), triggered region-wide tsunami warnings and watches extending from Japan to New Zealand to Hawaii and the eastern seaboard of Australia. So far, at least 39 people are confirmed dead with the toll expected to rise. Dozens more have been injured with entire towns inundated by the sweeping water which travelled 300 meters inland in some places. Simbo, Choiseul and Ranunga islands were also affected. A state of national emergency was declared for the Solomon Islands. On the island of Choiseul, a wall of water reported to be 30 feet (9.1 m) high swept almost 400 meters inland destroying everything in its path. Officials estimate that the tsunami displaced more than 5000 residents all over the archipelago.

2007: Niigata, Japan (新潟県中越沖地震)

On 16 July 2007, a strong earthquake struck northwestern Japan, causing a fire and minor radioactive water leak at one of the world's most powerful nuclear power plants. At least seven people were killed and hundreds injured. Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.8 on the richter scale and sending aftershocks of 6.6. The U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors quakes around the world, said the initial quake registered 6.7. A tsunami watch was issued along the Sea of Japan. The predicted height of the tsunami was estimated to be 50 cm (20 inches).[19] That earthquake sparked only a few small tsunamis, growing to be no more than about 20 cm (8 inches) tall. However, the 1964 quake and tsunami north of the current one destroyed the port of the city of Niigata. ja:新潟県中越沖地震

2009: Samoa, Pacific Ocean

2010: Chile

Highest or tallest



Other historic tsunamis

Other tsunamis that have occurred include the following:

  • ca. 500 B.C.: Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, India, Maldives

South Asia

Tsunamis in South Asia
Source: Amateur Seismic Centre, India[20]
Date Location
1524 Near Dabhol, Maharashtra
2 April 1762 Arakan Coast, Myanmar
16 June 1819 Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, India
31 October 1847 Great Nicobar Island, India
31 December 1881 Car Nicobar Island, India
26 August 1883 Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia
28 November 1945 Mekran coast, Balochistan

North America and the Caribbean


Source: NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office, [2]


  • 6100 BC - Storegga Slide, Norway - The Storegga slide generated a huge tsunami that washed through the North Atlantic Ocean, hitting Norway, Iceland and the east coast of Scotland, where it reached a height of 21 metres, and even washed over some of the Shetland Islands.
  • 11 January 1683 - An earthquake in Italy triggered a tsunami that killed more than 1000 people.
  • 6 February 1783 - An offshore earthquake in Southern Italy caused a tsunami that killed around 1500 people.
  • 20 September 1867 - An earthquake in Greece caused a tsunami that killed 12 people.
  • 11 September 1930 - 2 people were killed by a tsunami in Italy, caused by an undersea earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Ritcher Scale.
  • 9 July 1956 - An earthquake in Greece generated a tsunami that drowned 4 people.
  • 28 February 1969 - A submarine earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Ritcher Scale, with its epicentre of the coast of Portugal, caused a tsunami that hit Northern Portugal, parts of Spain, and Morocco. No lives were lost.
  • 16 October 1979 - 23 people died when the coast of Nice, France, was hit by a tsunami, caused by an undersea landslide. The sea suddenly receded from the shore and returned in two huge waves, hitting a 36-mile-long coastal stretch. Hundreds of boats were overturned, and 11 people working in a shipyard were drowned.
  • 13 December 1990 - 6 people died when an undersea earthquake in Italy caused a tsunami.
  • 17 August 1999 - The 1999 İzmit earthquake in Northwest Turkey triggered a 2 metre high tsunami in the Sea of Marmara.[21][22][23][24]



See also


  1. ^ Thucydides: “A History of the Peloponnesian War”, 3.89.1-5
  3. ^ Herodotus: "The Histories", 8.129
  4. ^ Antonopoulos, John: "The Tsunami of 426 BC in the Maliakos Gulf, Eastern Greece", Natural Hazards, Vol. 5 (1992), pp.83-93
  6. ^ The Lost Cities of Ancient Helike: Principal Ancient Sources
  7. ^ a b Kelly, Gavin: “Ammianus and the Great Tsunami”, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 94 (2004), pp. 141-167 (141)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h JNOAA Earthquake Database Query
  12. ^
  13. ^ (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.02.021). In: "Fault found for Mediterranean 'day of horror'." New Scientist magazine, 15 March 2008, p. 16.
  14. ^ (Japanese) 安政南海地震
  15. ^ The 1868 Arica Tsunami
  16. ^ ""Emergency & Disasters Data Base"". CRED. Retrieved 2006-05-30. 
  17. ^
  18. ^
  19. ^ "Strong quake jolts Japan, tsunami alert issued". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-07-16. 
  20. ^
  21. ^,3,4;journal,18,26;linkingpublicationresults,1:102476,1
  22. ^
  23. ^
  24. ^


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