Tsunamis are one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters, they are commonly referred to as tidal waves, although they are not true tidal waves because they have nothing to do with tides.
"Tsunamis are a type of natural disaster that occurs when a vast amount of water, usually an ocean or a large lake, is displaced. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other underwater explosions (including nuclear device detonations), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts, and other disturbances above or below water can all cause a tsunami."
Tsunamis are not only powerful, but also fast; they can travel at the speed of a jet airliner, destroying any man-made or natural structure in their path, from trees to buildings, and even wiping out an entire village.
The most deadly Tsunamis usually occur as a result of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or underwater explosions. This article examines ten of the world's most deadly earthquakes and tsunamis in recent history.
1. Tsunami and Earthquake in Alaska 1964
The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake, or the Good Friday Earthquake, struck on March 27, 1964, on Good Friday, a Christian holy day commemorating Christ's death on the cross.
According to reports from various sources, the earthquake killed 131 people: nine as a result of the earthquake itself, 106 as a result of tsunamis in Alaska, and 16 as a result of tsunamis in Oregon and California. Property damage was projected to be in excess of $310 million ($2.22 billion in today's money).
2. Earthquake and Tsunami in Samoa in 2009
According to the Guardian of 2nd October 2009, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Samoan Islands on September 29, 2009, killing 189 people: 149 in Samoa, 31 in American Samoa, and 9 in Tonga, making it the most devastating earthquake of 2009.
The earthquake and tsunami would have been even more devastating if the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had not issued enough warning, giving people enough time to evacuate to higher ground.
3. Tsunami and Earthquake in Hokkaido, 1993
Although the Japanese authorities issued a tsunami warning quickly, the small island of Okushiri was beyond help on that fateful day, July 12th, 1993, when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 and a corresponding Tsunami struck 80 miles off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, killing 230 people and leaving many more injured and homeless.
4. Earthquake and Tsunami in Tumaco, 1979
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck Colombia and Ecuador's Pacific coast on December 12th, 1979, killing most of the estimated 600 people. 93 people out of the original 4,000 were reported dead or missing.
The tsunami also obliterated all of San Juan de la Costa's homes, leaving 199 people dead or missing. The death toll is expected to be between 500 and 600 individuals, with an additional 4,000 people injured.
5. Earthquake and Tsunami in Java in 2006
According to the US Geological Survey, this 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck on July 17th, 2006. "Thrust-faulting on the boundary between the Australia plate and the Sunda Plate caused the earthquake."
The Australia plate travels north-northeast with respect to the Sunda plate at around 59 mm/year on this region of their common boundary. At the Java Trench, south of Java, the Australia plate thrusts beneath the Sunda plate and is subducted to progressively greater depths beneath Java and north of Java.
The earthquake occurred around 50 kilometers north of the Java trench, on the shallow section of the plate boundary." By the end of the day, 668 people had died, 65 had gone missing, and 9,299 had been treated as a result of the disaster.
6. Earthquake and Tsunami in the Moro Gulf On August 16, 1979
An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 rocked the Philippines' island of Mindanao, killing 5000-8000 people and leaving another 2,200 people missing, as well as injuring 9,500 people and displacing over 90,000 people.
This Earthquake and Tsunami would have caused more injuries and deaths if it hadn't happened in the middle of the night when so many people were not awake.
7. Earthquake and Tsunami in Papua New Guinea in 1998
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea's north coast in the early evening of Friday, July 17, 1998, was not expected to result in such a devastating tsunami, but the undersea landslide that followed caused waves up to 49 feet tall and averaging 34 feet in height, killing about 2,200 people and leaving thousands homeless, with another 500 missing.
Even if the earthquake is too minor to be felt on land or detected by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, if there is one crucial lesson to be learned from this, it is that such small events can be quite harmful.
As a result, a tsunami could ensue, which could be devastating. This serves as a lesson for the future, with the intention of saving additional lives.
8. Earthquake and Tsunami in Valdivia, 1960
Sunday, May 22, 1960 will go down in history as the day the world was rocked by the greatest and most violent earthquake ever recorded.
The Great Chilean Earthquake began with a volcanic explosion off the southern coast of central Chile on that fateful afternoon, and the tsunami that followed impacted southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia, and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
Up to 6,000 people are thought to have died as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that followed. The monetary cost has been estimated to be between US$400 million and US$800 million, according to various sources (or 2.9 to 5.8 billion in 2011 dollars, adjusted for inflation).
9. Earthquake and Tsunami in Tohoku, Japan, in 2011
On March 11th, Japan was struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which created a horrific 23-foot tsunami in the northern region of the country. The waves that followed swept away homes, automobiles, buildings, and boats, wreaking havoc on cities and rural areas alike. Around 125,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in total.
Although the exact extent of the nuclear calamity is still unknown, radiation has been found 200 miles away from the plant. It resulted in 15,839 deaths, 5,950 injuries, and 3,642 missing people.
Perhaps more people would have died if not for the warnings sent for Russia, Taiwan, Hawaii, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the west coastlines of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
10. Tsunami and earthquake in the Indian Ocean, 2004
The earthquake and tsunami that struck Sumantra, Indonesia in the Indian Ocean in 2004 was one of the most devastating and destructive natural disasters in human history, with an estimated depth of 30 kilometers.
According to a report from the US Geological Survey, the earthquake that caused it delivered the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs (USGS). The Indian Ocean tsunami travelled approximately 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) to Africa, generating waves as high as 50 feet (15 meters) in some areas, killing thousands of people and destroying property.
This Tsunami killed approximately 150,000 people and left millions more homeless in 11 nations. The tragedy caused an estimated US$10 billion in damages, earning it the title of deadliest Tsunami in human history.