Facts about Tsunamis
- 10
Submarine landslides can generate tsunamis without any earthquake, as occurred in 1998 off Papua New Guinea when a magnitude 7.0 quake triggered an underwater collapse producing 15-meter waves that killed over 2,000 people.
- 09
Most tsunami deaths result from drowning and debris impact rather than the wave itself, with the 2004 Indian Ocean event claiming 90 percent of fatalities through these secondary mechanisms.
- 08
Mega-tsunamis triggered by volcanic landslides can exceed 500 meters in height, with the 1755 Lisbon event's smaller waves still traveling across entire ocean basins.
- 07
Coral reefs surrounding atolls can reduce tsunami wave heights by up to 97 percent, providing natural protection for Pacific island communities like those in Fiji and Samoa.
- 06
Early warning systems in the Indian Ocean, installed after 2004, can detect tsunamis and alert coastal populations up to 14 minutes before waves arrive, potentially saving thousands of lives.
- 05
Waves from a tsunami can continue rebounding between ocean basins for several days, with the 2004 Indian Ocean event producing measurable waves in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 7 hours after the initial strike.
- 04
Underwater earthquakes generating tsunamis can displace water columns over 1,000 meters deep, with the 1960 Great Chilean earthquake producing waves that traveled 22 hours across the Pacific Ocean.
- 03
Japan's Tohoku tsunami in 2011 traveled 10 kilometers inland and reached heights exceeding 40 meters, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
- 02
In 1755, a Lisbon earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 40 meters high, causing Europe's deadliest natural disaster and killing 60,000 residents.
- 01
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami traveled at speeds up to 800 kilometers per hour and killed approximately 230,000 people across 14 countries.