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USA Today
30-07-2025
- Science
- USA Today
What are the biggest tsunamis ever? How July 29 earthquake, tsunami compares.
The deadliest recorded tsunami in history claimed hundreds of thousands of lives after a magnitude 9.1 earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean in 2004. While not as strong, the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29 brought tsunami waves to Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. Tsunami alerts were still in effect in some areas as of 1 p.m. ET July 30, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center. No deaths have been reported from tsunami waves in this event so far. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has documented nearly 3,000 tsunamis since 1610 BC, according to the Global Historical Tsunami Database. Here's a look at the ten deadliest tsunamis, according to the database. 10. Pacific Ocean, 1703: more than 5200 dead A magnitude 8.2 earthquake caused a tsunami that killed more than 5,200 people on Dec. 30, 1703, according to NOAA data. The event occurred off the southwest Boso Peninsula, which is just south of Tokyo, Japan. 9. Pacific Ocean, 1976: 5,000 to 8,000 dead On Aug. 16, 1976, a magnitude 8 earthquake hit the Moro Gulf off the coast of the Philippines, per NOAA data. The resulting tsunami is estimated to have killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people, according to the agency. An additional 10,000 people were injured. 8. Pacific Ocean, 1771: more than 13,000 dead A magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a deadly tsunami on April 24, 1771, according to NOAA. More than 13,400 people died in the event, which is believed to have washed away more than 3,000 homes, according to the agency. 7. Pacific Ocean, 1792: approximately 15,000 dead On May 21, 1792, Mount Unzen, a volcano in southern Japan, erupted, causing underground shocks, according to NOAA. The resulting tsunami that it caused killed roughly 15,000 people, historical data shows. 6. Pacific Ocean, 2011: more than 18,000 dead More than 18,000 people died when an earthquake off the northern coast of Japan caused a tsunami on March 11, 2011, according to NOAA. The earthquake was recorded at a magnitude of 9.1. The ocean water height reached more than 127 feet. 5. Pacific Ocean, 1868: more than 25,000 dead In what is now Arica, Chile, a magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck on Aug. 13, 1868. Per historical data from NOAA, the quake "generated catastrophic tsunamis that affected the entire Pacific rim and lasted 2-3 days." More than 25,000 people across South America were killed in the earthquake and tsunami, according to NOAA. 4. Pacific Ocean, 1896: more than 27,000 dead On June 15, 1896, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan, causing a tsunami. According to NOAA data, more than 27,000 people were killed, 9,200 were injured and 10,000 buildings were washed away. The ocean waves are believed to have crested at up to 124 feet, according to NOAA. 3. Indian Ocean, 1883: more than 36,000 dead The Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait off Indonesia erupted and caused a massive tsunami on Aug. 27, 1883, according to NOAA. Ocean waves reached as high as 130 feet. More than 36,000 people are estimated to have died in the event. 2. Atlantic Ocean, 1755: up to 50,000 dead A magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal, on Nov. 1, 1755. The ensuing tsunami triggered waves that crested at up to 59 feet, NOAA found. Historical data shows that the earthquake and resulting tsunami and fires caused 40,000 to 50,000 deaths in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. 1. Indian Ocean, 2004: more than 227,000 dead On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake hit off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It caused a tsunami that unleashed waves more than 160 feet high, according to NOAA. The tsunami claimed more than 227,000 lives and displaced millions of people in 12 countries, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
Mint
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Mint
Tsunami Warning: Is Russia's 8.8 earthquake among the worst ever? How deadly were history's top 10 disasters?
Tsunami Warning: A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering a Pacific Ocean Tsunami warning on July 29. The quake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centred about 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula along the coast of Avacha Bay, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said as it revised the magnitude up from 8.0 earlier. Scary videos on social media showed shaking visuals recorded inside buildings, with damage reported at multiple places. Is it the worst-ever Tsunami ever? What does 8.8 magnitude on richter scale mean? The Global Historical Tsunami Database contains information about over 1,200 confirmed tsunamis between 1610 BC and AD 2017. Of these, at least 250 were deadly. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US Department of Commerce, the deadliest Tsunami in history was reported on December 26, 2004, when an extremely powerful earthquake occurred off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. This magnitude 9.1 earthquake, the third largest in the world since 1900, generated a tsunami that reached as high as 167 feet (51 meters) and caused flooding up to three miles (five kilometres) inland, the NOAA says. The ensuing tsunami was as tall as 50 m, reaching 5 km inland near Meubolah, Sumatra while earthquake was estimated to occur at a depth of 30 kilometres. This tsunami is also the most widely recorded, with nearly one thousand combined tide gauge and eyewitness measurements from around the world reporting a rise in wave height, including places in the US, the UK and Antarctica. An estimated US$10b of damages is attributed to the disaster, with around 230,000 people reported dead, according to reports. On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the east coast of Japan's Tōhoku resulted in a Tsunami that caused devastation locally and was observed throughout the Pacific. according to NOAA, The earthquake was the worst ever recorded in Japan and the tsunami reached as high as 127 feet (39 meters) and travelled up to five miles (eight kilometers) inland. It caused more than 18,000 deaths and approximately $243 billion (2017 dollars) in damage in Japan alone. And most of the devastation in Japan was attributed the tsunami. At least 500,000 people were displaced, and the disaster also led to an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima. In 1755, a magnitude 8.5 earthquake generated three deadly waves to strike various towns along the west coast of Portugal and southern Spain. These waves were up to 30 m high, in some places, according to Australian geographic magazine. The tsunami waves were also reported to as far as Carlisle Bay, Barbados. The earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed 50,000 in the Portugal, Morocco and Spain, according to media reports. Deaths Year Country Ocean Cause Magnitude 227,889 2004 Indonesia Indian Earthquake 9.1 50,000 1755 Portugal Atlantic Earthquake 8.5 34,417 1883 Indonesia Indian Volcano — 31,000 1498 Japan Pacific Earthquake 8.3 27,122 1896 Japan Pacific Earthquake 8.3 25,000 1868 Chile Pacific Earthquake 8.5 18,453 2011 Japan Pacific Earthquake 9.1 14,524 1792 Japan Pacific Volcano — 13,486 1771 Japan Pacific Earthquake 7.4 8,000 1686 Japan Pacific Earthquake 8.2 The deadliest Tsunami in history was reported on December 26, 2004, when an extremely powerful earthquake occurred off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Key Takeaways The recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia has raised new concerns about tsunami risks. Historical context shows that tsunamis can have devastating impacts, as evidenced by the 2004 Sumatra tsunami. Understanding the scale and effects of past tsunamis can help prepare for future events.
