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Where was the largest tsunami in the world?

Where was the largest tsunami in the world?

The word “tsunami,” originating from Japanese, means “harbor wave.” Most often, a tsunami results from a seismic tremor with a magnitude greater than 7.5, but it can also have other causes. These immense tidal waves can be triggered by landslides, underwater avalanches, volcanic eruptions, and impacts from meteorites or other celestial bodies.

The catastrophic consequence of a tsunami is the devastation it inflicts on the inhabitants of the most densely populated regions – coastal areas across the globe. The majority of recorded tsunamis have occurred in the Pacific Ocean, with the remaining events taking place in the Indian Ocean and other regions.

Tsunamis are characterized by several factors that indicate the destructive power of the waves, their intensity, and the severity of the consequences upon impacting the coast. Key characteristics include:

  • Wave direction
  • Propagation speed (ranging from 600 to 1000 km/h)
  • Wavelength (from tens to hundreds of meters)
  • Crest height upon reaching the coast (from 10 to 40 meters or more)

These parameters are monitored by specialized equipment installed on marine buoys, relayed to satellite systems, and used for tsunami warning systems.

The Most Powerful Tsunamis in History

The phenomenon of tsunamis is well-documented. Over 66 million years ago, a meteorite impact in the Yucatan region triggered a massive tsunami, leading to a mass extinction event. In the Bronze Age, the island of Santorini was partially engulfed by a gigantic tsunami, contributing to the demise of the Minoan civilization on Crete.

In 1755, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Lisbon generated a massive tsunami that impacted England, Morocco, and even the Americas. The eruption of Krakatoa in May 1883 caused the ocean floor to rise by 40 meters, producing a wave that reached Sumatra.

The last century has witnessed several deadly tsunamis, the largest of which include:

  • Messina Strait Tsunami (1908): A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Messina Strait on December 28, 1908, was followed by a tsunami that claimed the lives of 95,000 people in Sicily and Calabria (Italy). The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were particularly devastated.
  • Lituya Bay Megatsunami (1958): A megatsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska, reached a record-breaking height of 523 meters. This immense wave resulted from an 8.3 magnitude earthquake that triggered a landslide into the bay. While devastating to the local area, the tsunami’s impact was localized and did not result in widespread casualties.
  • Valdivia Tsunami (1960): The most powerful recorded earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.5, struck off the coast of Valdivia, Chile, in 1960. Waves reaching 5 meters high devastated the coastline, reaching the western coast of the USA and Japan. 5,700 people died in Chile, 61 in Hawaii, and 142 in Japan.
  • Philippines Tsunami (1976): Shortly after midnight on August 17, 1976, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Sulu. It was followed by a tsunami with waves up to five meters high, crashing down on thousands of sleeping people. Official estimates place the death toll from this disaster between 5,000 and 8,000.
  • Papua New Guinea Tsunami (1998): On July 17, 1998, two earthquakes, each with a magnitude of 7.0, struck Papua New Guinea. These earthquakes triggered a tsunami that devastated a 30-kilometer stretch of coastline in the north of the country, washing away seven villages. Local sources report between 6,000 and 8,000 deaths and 12,000 families left homeless.
  • 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Sumatra): On December 26, 2004, a mega-earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck Aceh, north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggering a massive tsunami. Giant waves crossed the Indian Ocean, reaching as far as Somalia. The lack of a tsunami warning system for the coastal populations significantly increased the death toll. Across several Indian Ocean countries, 220,000 people perished, with Indonesia bearing the brunt of the disaster – 170,000 lives were lost in Aceh province.

The Fukushima Tsunami

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, triggering a devastating tsunami. Waves reaching 10 meters high and traveling at speeds of up to 900 km/h ravaged communities along the northeastern coast, impacting the Tohoku region and crippling the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing a reactor meltdown. The tsunami resulted in approximately 19,000 deaths and missing persons, inundating the nuclear facility and causing an environmental disaster considered the most significant since the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The estimated cost of the damage reached $5 billion.

What does the future hold? Scientists are warning of a potential mega-tsunami in Alaska, predicted to dwarf the Lituya Bay disaster. The Barry Arm region, a mountainous fjord, is experiencing glacial retreat and destabilization, creating conditions ripe for a massive landslide. This poses a significant threat of a mega-tsunami to the populated areas surrounding Passage Canal.