|
| Year |
Location |
Magnitude |
Comment |
|
| 1949 |
Khait, Tajikistan (Tadzhikistan, USSR)
|
7.5 |
Approximately 12,000 people killed.
Nearly all buildings destroyed by the earthquake and landslides in a zone
60-65 km (37-41 mi) long and 6-8 km (4-5 mi) wide. A huge slide, about 20
km (12 mi) long and 1 km (0.5 mi) wide buried the town of Khait to a depth of
about 30 m (100 ft), moving over it at a velocity of about 100 m/sec (225
mi/hr). This and other slides in the Yasman River Valley also buried 20
villages. The death toll is estimated.
See: The Tragedy of Khait: A Natural Disaster in Tajikistan
Damage Photos from the USGS Photographic Library
|
|
| 1958 |
Lituya Bay, Alaska
|
7.7 |
50th Anniversary
A massive rockslide at the head of Lituya Bay caused water
to surge about 530 meters, generating a "gravity wave"
that swept out of the bay. A fishing boat anchored in Anchorage Cove
was carried in front of the largest wave crest,
and those onboard estimated they cleared La Chaussee
Spit (at the mouth of Lituya Bay) by 30 meters or more.
Two people on another fishing boat disappeared after
being caught in the huge wave.
The water, estimated to have traveled about 100 miles per
hour, swept away a lighthouse and a log cabin - the only
manmade objects in the area.
|
|
|
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey