Tsunami: History of Destruction

Tsunamis, which is a Japanese term meaning "harbor waves", are tidal waves that typically occur in the Pacific Ocean during the months of March, August, and November. They are caused by earthquakes on the ocean floor which then produce chains of waves that move across water at speeds of five hundred miles an hour. However, some scientists are convinced that tsunamis are also caused by the eruption of volcanoes which has been the case for some of the most deadliest ones ever. When it reaches shallow water, the waves grow in height sometimes reaching over a hundred feet high.

Tidal waves, or tsunamis, are more minimized than they used to be because of the sophisticated instruments that help meteorologists predict and monitor dangerous weather. These instruments are used to alert people of incoming tidal waves and informing them to evacuate the areas of possible danger.

Many believe in ancient times that a tsunami was responsible for wiping out the Minoan Greek culture that had occupied the island of Crete that is located in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1450 B.C., the island was hit by a two-hundred foot tidal wave caused by a volcanic expolosion that destroyed the island or weakened it to a point where the Greek mainlanders called Myceneans could take over Crete.

Up until 2004, the deadliest tsunami ever recorded hit Lisbon, Portugal in 1755. An earthquake measuring a magnitude-9.0 on the Richter Scale hit Lisbon which in turn caused a tsunami and fire that nearly destroyed the city. Anywhere between 60,000 and 100,000 people died as a result of the earthquake. It is often referred to as the Great Lisbon Earthquake.

In 1883, a tidal wave destroyed an Indonesian Island claiming more than 36,000 lives after a volcano on the island of Krakatoa had erupted. The tidal waves reached heights of up to 130 feet high as it also wiped out more than 150 villages in the process.

The largest recorded tsunami ever happened off the coast of southern Chile in 1960. An earthquake measuring an incredible 9.5 on the Richter Scale hit the city that caused a total of 6,000 deaths worldwide. It was so powerful that the Hawaiian city of Hilo got hit with a tsunami over 14 hours later that had waves measured at 35 feet high. Even 22 hours later, the Sanriku coast of Japan saw over 140 people killed as a result of the Great Chilean Earthquake.

In 1964, the largest North American tsunami ever recorded hit soutwest Alaska. A tidal wave measuring 220 feet high was brought on by an earthquake in the Prince William Sound measuring 9.2 on the Richter Scale. This tsunami was also responsible for the deaths of residents in Oregon and California. This is the the third largest earthquake ever recorded in the world, too. The property damage as a result of the tsunami was about $300 million and would have been $1.8 billion in today's economic market. This is often called the Good Friday Earthquake.

Japan is the country with most recorded tsunamis. The first recorded tsunami to hit Japan occurred in 684 A.D when the Hakuho Earthquake took place. A total of 195 of them have been recorded in period of 1,313 years. One tsunami takes place an average of 6.7 years in Japan, the highest in the world.

While the majority of all tsunamis have hit the Pacific Ocean in recorded history, none matched the destruction of the one that occurred in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004.

An earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia that caused many tidal waves across the Indian Ocean countries and Southeast Asia. It was said that the earthquake was so powerful that Alaska had felt remnants of it. It was estimated that over 275,000 died as a result of that earthquake, but the United Nations lists it as about 230,000. Originally, it was measured 9.0 on the Richter Scale, but was upgraded to 9.1 then 9.3. At a measurement of 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded, and also the second deadliest ever as well.

On April 2 of this year, a tsunami hit the Solomon Islands in the East Pacific that measured 8.1 on the Richter Scale. The tsunami was 17 feet tall in height, and the city of Gizo received most of the damage. At least 28 people are missing as of right now and many towns were destroyed after it hit the islands. A state of emergency was issued for the Solomon Islands after the tsunami hit land.

Tsunamis are quite possibly the most dangerous natural disasters ever. Even with the advanced technology that is used to detect them, no one will ever have time to evacuate their area from the incoming danger. Tsunamis can strike any area that has a big body of water in the world, so the Pacific and Indian Ocean countries are not the only areas that will see them.

Source: wikipedia