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Tsunamis - General |
| Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave." It is a water wave or a series of waves generated by an impulsive vertical displacement of the surface of the ocean or other body of water. This slide set depicts advancing waves, harbor damage, and structural damage from seven tsunami events which have occurred since 1946 in the Pacific region. The set includes before-and-after views of Scotch Cap Lighthouse (the Aleutian Islands). |
Scotch Cap Lighthouse before Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska The Scotch Cap Lighthouse on Unimak Island, Alaska, before the earthquake. Amagnitude 8.0 (Mw) earthquake with the source to the south of Unimak Island generated a tsunami that destroyed the five-story lighthouse, located 9.8 m above sea level. Only the foundation and part of the concrete sea wall remained. All five occupants were killed. The waves deposited debris as high as 35 m above the sea. Although little damage occurred in Alaska, except at Scotch Cap, the tsunami was one of the most destructive ever to occur in the Hawaiian Islands. Photo credit: U.S. Coast Guard. |
Scotch Cap Lighthouse after Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake
of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska The Scotch Cap Lighthouse on Unimak Island, Alaska after the earthquake and tsunami. A magnitude 8.0 (Mw) earthquake with the source to the south of Unimak Island generated a tsunami that destroyed the five-story lighthouse, located 9.8 m above sea level. Only the foundation and part of the concrete sea wall remained. All five occupants were killed. The waves deposited debris as high as 35 m above the sea. Although little damage occurred in Alaska, except at Scotch Cap, the tsunami was one of the most destructive ever to occur in the Hawaiian Islands. Photo credit: U.S. Coast Guard |
1946 Alaska Tsunami Strikes Hawaiian Beach | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska View of the tsunami generated in the Aleutian Islands striking the beachfront area at the Puumaile Tuberculosis Hospital on the Island of Hawaii, about 3,800 km from the generating area. In this area east of Hilo, Hawaii, waves were 6.1 m high overtopping the breakwater and causing minor flooding at the hospital. These catastrophic waves engulfed the Hawaiian Islands suddenly and unexpectedly. The maximum rise of water was almost 8 m in Hilo and as much as 12 m in other areas on the island of Hawaii. Photo credit: Mrs. Harry A. Simms, Sr. |
Tsunami Wave Generated in Alaska Runs Up On Hawaiian Beach | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska View of the tsunami generated in the Aleutian Islands striking the beachfront area at the Puumaile Tuberculosis Hospital on the Island of Hawaii, about 3,800 km from the generating area. In this area east of Hilo, Hawaii, waves were 6.1 m high overtopping the breakwater and causing minor flooding at the hospital. These catastrophic waves engulfed the Hawaiian Islands suddenly and unexpectedly. The maximum rise of water was almost 8 m in Hilo and as much as 12 m in other are as on the island of Hawaii. Photo credit: Mrs. Harry A. Simms, Sr |
Clubhouse in Hilo, HI Wrecked by 1946 Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Wreckage of a political party clubhouse, Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii. Every house on the main street facing Hilo Bay was washed across the street and smashed against the buildings on the other side. Houses were overturned, railroads ripped from their roadbeds, coastal highways buried, and beaches washed away. The waters off the island were dotted with floating houses, debris, and people. Property damage in Hawaii was $26 million (1946 dollars). Photo credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Tsunami Generated in Alaska Breaks Pier in Hilo, HI | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Tsunami breaking over Pier No. 1 in Hilo Harbor, Hawaii. The man in the foreground became one of the 159 fatalities in the Hawaiian Islands from the tsunami. The photo was taken from the Brigham Victory which was in the harbor at the time of the event. The ship was caught by the waves and tossed about but was able to use its own power to avoid the reefs and get past the breakwater to the open sea. (Photo credit: NOAA. Photo has been retouched.) |
Midway Island Flooded by 1952 Kamchatka Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of November 4, 1952, Kamchatka Peninsula, (former) Soviet Union Flooded street resulting from the tsunami on Midway Island. The tsunami was generated by a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) earthquake on Kamchatka where it caused severe damage. The tsunami then struck Midway (3,000 km away), the Hawaiian Islands (5,200 km away), and other areas in the Pacific. Midway reportedly was covered with 1 m of water. Photo credit: U.S. Navy |
Aerial View of Kamchatka Tsunami Striking Hawaiian Beach | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of November 4, 1952, Kamchatka Peninsula, (former) Soviet Union Aerial view of Kaika Bay near Haleiwa on the north shore of Oahu shows the fourth wave advancing up the beach toward beach houses and also shows extent of inundation from previous waves. In Hawaii, property damage from these waves was estimated at $800,000-$1,000,000 (1952 dollars); however, no lives were lost. The waves beached boats, caused houses to collide, destroyed piers, scoured beaches, and moved road pavement. Photo credit: George Curtis |
Hawaiian Beach before Arrival of 1957 Aleutian Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 9, 1957, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Three sequential photos show the arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, about 3,600 km from the source. This is the first photo of three. The magnitude 8.6 (Mw) earthquake occurred south of the Andreanof Islands, in the Aleutian Islands. It generated a 8-m tsunami that did great damage on Adak Island, especially to the fuel and oil docks. However, the Hawaiian Islands incurred the greatest damage (about $5 million in 1957 dollars). The highest wave was 10.4 m at Haena, Kauai. Photo credit: Henry Helbush |
First Wave from 1957 Aleutian Tsunami Strikes HI Beach | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 9, 1957, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Three sequential photos show the arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, about 3,600 km from the source. This is the second photo of three. The magnitude 8.6 (Mw) earthquake occurred south of the Andreanof Islands, in the Aleutian Islands. It generated a 8-m tsunami that did great damage on Adak Island, especially to the fuel and oil docks. However, the Hawaiian Islands incurred the greatest damage (about $5 million in 1957 dollars). The highest wave was 10.4 m at Haena, Kauai. Photo credit: Henry Helbush |
Hawaiian Beach Engulfed by 1957 Tsunami from Aleutians | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 9, 1957, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Three sequential photos show the arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, about 3,600 km from the source. The magnitude 8.6 (Mw) earthquake occurred south of the Andreanof Islands, in the Aleutian Islands. This is the third photo of three. It generated a 8-m tsunami that did great damage on Adak Island, especially to the fuel and oil docks. However, the Hawaiian Islands incurred the greatest damage (about $5 million in 1957 dollars). The highest wave was 10.4 m at Haena, Kauai. Photo credit: Henry Helbush |
Aerial View of Chilean Coast after 1960 Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of May 22, 1960, Coast of Chile Aerial view of coastal area on Isla Chiloe, Chile, showing tsunami damage and wave extent. Two hundred deaths were reported here from the tsunami generated just off Chile's coast by a magnitude 9.3 (Mw) earthquake. The inhabitants, fearing the earthquake, took to small boats to escape the shaking. The trough of the tsunami arrived 10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake. Upon the return of the sea in a thunderous breaker, all boats were lost. The most serious effects occurred in an area extending from Concepcion on the Chilean coast to the south end of Isla Chiloe. The total property damage from the combined effects of the earthquake and tsunami in Chile was $417 million (1960 dollars). More than 1,000 people were killed, most of them by the tsunami. Photo credit: Unknown |
Aftermath of 1960 Chilean Tsunami in Hilo, HI | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of May 22, 1960, Coast of Chile The Waiakea area of Hilo, Hawaii, 10,000 km from the generating area. Parking meters were bent by the force of the debris-filled waves. Note the scattered debris and the gutted foundation. This tsunami, generated by the earthquake off the coast of central Chile, affected the entire Pacific Basin. One of the most seriously affected areas was Hilo, Hawaii, where 61 deaths and $24 million in damage occurred. In the area of maximum destruction, only buildings of reinforced concrete or structural steel, and a few others sheltered by these buildings, remained standing -- and even these were generally gutted. Frame buildings either were crushed or floated early to the limits of flooding. Photo credit: U.S. Navy |
Surge Wave Produced by 1964 Alaska Earthquake | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 28, 1964, Prince William
Sound, Alaska A surge wave left a two by twelve inch (5.2 x 31 cm) plank in a truck tire at Whittier, Alaska. Whittier incurred $10 million in property damage (1964 dollars). The tsunami that struck Whittier was generated by one of the largest shocks ever recorded on the North American Continent and the most destructive in Alaska's history. This was a magnitude 9.2 (Mw) earthquake. One of the waves, probably the same one that caused the major damage in Whittier, reached a height of 31.7 m above low tide. At Whittier the waves destroyed: two saw mills; the Union Oil Company tank farm, wharf and buildings; the Alaska Railroad depot; numerous frame dwellings; and the railroad ramp handling towers at the Army pier. The waves also caused great damage to the small boat harbor. The tsunami killed thirteen people at Whittier, a community of 70 people. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey |
Aerial View of Valdez, AK after 1964 Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 28, 1964, Prince William Sound, Alaska Aerial view of Valdez, Alaska, showing the extent of inundation along the coastline. The town of Valdez was situated on the edge of an outwash delta about 150 km from the generating area. During the earthquake, the shaking caused failure of the unstable, water-saturated material. A slice of the delta, approximately 1,220 m long and 183 m wide, slid into the sea and carried the dock area and portions of the town with it. The slide generated a wave which slammed into the waterfront within two to three minutes of the onset of the earthquake. This wave demolished what was left of the waterfront facilities, caused the loss of the fishing fleet, and penetrated about two blocks into the town. Valdez had $15 million in property damage, and 30 fatalities. Photo credit: U.S. Department of the Interior |
Damage Resulting from 1964 Tsunami in Alaska | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of March 28, 1964, Prince William Sound, Alaska View of the north end of Resurrection Bay at Seward, Alaska, about 75 km from the epicenter. An overturned ship, a demolished Texaco chemical truck, and a torn-up dock strewn with logs and scrap metal are visible. At Seward, a community of about 2,300, a section of the waterfront slid into Resurrection Bay. Waves spread in all directions, destroying the Alaska railroad docks, washing out railroad and highway bridges, and piling railroad rolling stock into giant windrows of wreckage. The waves spread flaming petroleum over the waterfront, igniting the rolling stock, the electrical generation plant, and some residences. Resurrection Bay received $14.6 million in damage. Eleven fatalities occurred in the Seward area. Photo credit: U.S. Department of the Interior |
Hawaii Beach after 1975 Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of November 29, 1975, Hawaii Island, Hawaii. Aerial view of Halape coconut grove on Hawaii Island, Hawaii, after a tsunami was generated by a magnitude 7.5 (Mw) local earthquake. There were thirty-two campers at Halape near the base of the 1,000 foot cliffs of Puu Kapukapu when the foreshock occurred. Rocks falling from the cliffs drove some campers closer to the beach where they were trapped by the first wave (1.5 m). The second wave, measuring 7.9 meters, carried campers into a crevice and a ditch. These structures kept the waves from carrying them out to sea. However, two of the campers were drowned, and 19 others were injured. The photo shows the permanent subsidence of between 3.0 and 3.5 meters at Halape. The local earthquake generated the largest local tsunami of the 20th Century in Hawaii. Photo credit: National Park Service |
Water Begins to Withdraw from Japan Coastline in 1983 Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of May 26, 1983 in Japan Photo one in a series of three. Water is drawing away from the shore as the trough of the tsunami arrives at Oga Aquarium in Akita Prefecture, Japan. The tsunami generated by a magnitude 7.9 (Mw) earthquake destroyed 700 boats and 59 houses for a total of $800 million in property damage in Japan (1983 dollars). One hundred and four people drowned in Japan and three drowned in Korea. Photo credit: Takaaki Uda, Public Works Research Institute, Japan |
Tsunami Engulfs Japan Coastline in 1983 | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of May 26, 1983 in Japan Photo two in a series of three. Inundation at maximum level. The tsunami generated by a magnitude 7.9 (Mw) earthquake destroyed 700 boats and 59 houses for a total of $800 million in property damage in Japan (1983 dollars). One hundred and four people drowned in Japan and three drowned in Korea. Photo credit: Takaaki Uda, Public Works Research Institute, Japan |
Japan Coastline after Withdrawal of Tsunami | |
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Tsunami Generated by Earthquake of May 26, 1983 in Japan Photo three in a series of three. The area of inundation after complete withdrawal of the wave. The tsunami generated by a magnitude 7.9 (Mw) earthquake destroyed 700 boats and 59 houses for a total of $800 million in property damage in Japan (1983 dollars). One hundred and four people drowned in Japan and three drowned in Korea. Photo credit: Takaaki Uda, Public Works Research Institute, Japan |