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A tsunami hitting a coastline. This article lists notable tsunamis, which are sorted by the date and location that they 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, [1] but are a worldwide natural phenomenon.
Tsunami aftermath in Aceh, Indonesia, December 2004. Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves. [15] This once-popular term derives from the most common appearance of a tsunami, which is that of an extraordinarily high tidal bore. Tsunamis and tides both produce waves of water that move inland, but in the case of a tsunami, the inland ...
Location Event Comments 1741: Oshima, off the coast of Hokkaido Volcanic eruption [13] [14] About 2,000 people killed along the west coast of Japan from the resulting tsunami. Homes and fishing boats destroyed in Korea. [15] Tsunami magnitude calculated at M t 8.4; largest tsunami in the region. [16] 1792 Shiribeshi: Earthquake (M 7.1)
On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake shook Southeast Asia, triggering the worst tsunami in recorded history. According to United Nations estimates, more than 220,000 people were killed ...
The tsunami reportedly sunk the islands of Kamo, Nabeshima and Kashiwajima, which were then busy settlements. Oral records suggest these features were solid outcrops rather than sandbars . Kamo Island was located 1 km (0.62 mi) off the coast of Takasu and was 2 km (1.2 mi) long by 0.3 km (0.19 mi) wide.
Most destructive tsunamis. In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake occurred off Sumatra, an Indonesian island in the Indian Ocean. It generated a tsunami that was as high as 167 feet (51 meters), causing an estimated 230,000 deaths. Another magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck in Japan in 2011, creating a tsunami with waves reaching 127 feet (39 meters).
Ordinary tsunamis, even those associated with the most powerful strike-slip earthquakes, typically do not reach heights in excess of 30 m (100 ft). [ 3 ] [ 4 ] By contrast, megatsunamis are caused by landslides and other impact events that displace large volumes of water, resulting in waves that may exceed the height of an ordinary tsunami by ...
Small tsunamis can also be caused by intense coastal storms, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System. These are known as meteotsunami because they are caused not by underwater earthquakes or ...