Mosttsunamisgo unnoticed . Defined as a wave have by a disturbance like anearthquake , landslip , or volcanic eruption , tsunamis often reach just a few inches in height , consort to NOAA . But when the inciting consequence is strong enough , the results can be calamitous . The most powerful tsunami move as fast asjet planesacross the open sea and grow as marvellous as skyscrapers . When they strive nation , they can decimateentire townsin bit .
The tsunamis on this list are n’t necessarily the deadly or most destructive , but they do dominate one family : filmy magnitude . Here are thetallest megatsunamisever recorded .
Table Of Contents
1. Karrat Fjord, Greenland // 295 Feet
Greenlandrarelysees tsunamis , but it was hit by one of the large waves on record in 2017 . A landslip on Karrat Fjord direct a295 - fundament - tallwall of urine into the sportfishing village of Nuugaatsiaq on June 17 . The megatsunami killedfour peopleand swept 11 construction into the ocean . expert believe the event was triggered by awarming climatethawing the glacial landscape . The mountains surrounding Karrat Fjord are still mentally ill , andan evenbigger landslide - caused tsunami could be in Greenland ’s future .
2. Ambon Island, Indonesia // 328 Feet
The first megatsunami to bedocumented in detailin Indonesia stay on one of the large tsunami on book . On February 17 , 1674 , an earthquake hit the Maluku Islands in the Banda Sea . The seismal event sent a monolithic moving ridge crashing into Ambon Island , where it killed more than 2000 people . The urine reached the top of thecoastal hillson the Hitu Peninsula , indicating the tsunami peaked around 328 base .
3. Lituya Bay, Alaska // 394 Feet
This megatsunami that gain the T - shaped fiord on the southeastern sharpness of Alaska was probably because of a landslide . Tree ring counts show it occurring in belated 1853 or former 1854 , and trimlines [ PDF ] ( the point in the vale where trees were wiped away ) betoken a maximum height of 394 ft . Lituya Bay has been the site of multiple megastunamis throughout history . Itssteep wallsand proximity to theFairweather blame lineare a recipe for destructive waves .
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4. Lituya Bay, Alaska // 490 Feet
Lituya Bay ’s second - biggest tsunami on record hit on October 27 , 1936 . Eyewitnesses described three giant waves vagabond in from Crillon Inlet one after the other at swiftness around 22 mph [ PDF ] . The largest wave crown out at around 490 feet . expert still are n’t sure what get the 1936 tsunami , but an submersed rockslide is one potential culprit .
5. Icy Bay, Alaska // 633 Feet
6. Vajont Dam, Italy // 771 Feet
Unlike other tsunamis on this tilt , this disaster was triggered by humans . The construction of theVajont damin northerly Italy — the high decametre of its kind at the clock time of culmination in 1960 — stir up the circumvent landscape . The face of nearby Mount Toc showed augury of break early on , and onOctober 9 , 1963 , the entire slope crumbled into the reservoir below . The landslip triggered a tsunami that wiped out several villages in the Piave valley within 15 minutes . More than 2000 lives were claim in the tragedy . Reaching 771 feet improbable , the Vajont dam tsunami is among story ’s biggest in increase to being one of the deadly man - made environmental disasters ever .
7. Mount St. Helens, Washington // 820 Feet
The earthquake that caused the infamousMount . St. Helenseruption in Washington on May 18 , 1980 , also result in a tsunami . When the quake strike , the north side of the volcano broke aside and fell intoSpirit Lake . Thelandslideremains the turgid on record , and the 820 - foot tsunami that accompany is the third - largest in history . It crash into the side of Mount Margaret before splashing back down into the lavatory below .
8. Lituya Bay, Alaska // 1720 Feet
On July 9 , 1958 , Alaska ’s Lituya Bay was strike by the largest megatsunami ever record . It occur when a7.8 magnitude earthquakestruck the Fairweather mistake , dislodging 90 million tons of rock-and-roll into the bay . The paries of water this produced achieve near 1720 groundwork in the air — which is high than theWillis Towerin Chicago . Five peoplewere killed by the wave , include three hoi polloi on the shoring of Khantaak Island at Yakutat Bay ’s ingress and two people on a boat in Lituya Bay .
A interpretation of this story ran in 2021 ; it has been update for 2023 .
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