Tsunamis-Historical By Country (O-Z)

PAKISTAN 1945: EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI OF 28 NOVEMBER 1945 IN SOUTHERN PAKISTAN - By Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:37:12 -1000

(Excerpts from unpublished report on "Seismo-Dynamics of Compressional Tectonic Collision - Potential for Tsunamigenesis Along Boundaries of the Indian, Eurasian and Arabian Plates" (Abstract submitted to the International Conference HAZARDS 2004, Hyderabad, India, 2-4 Dec. 2004 )

On 28 November 1945, a great earthquake, off Pakistan's Makran Coast (Balochistan) generated a destructive tsunami in the Northern Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. More than 4,000 people were killed along the Makran Coast of Pakistan by both the earthquake and the tsunami.

Also, the tsunami was responsible for loss of life and great destruction along the coasts of Iran, Oman and western India (and possibly elsewhere).

Origin Time and Epicenter .......

PERU 1966: THE SOURCE MECHANISM OF THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF OCTOBER 17, 1966 IN PERU - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:38:08 -1000

The Earthquake: A strong earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred east of the Peru Trench axis at 21:42 (Greenwich Time) on October 17, 1966. The epicenter of this quake was at 10.7 S Latitude and 78.7 W Longitude off the coast of Pativilca of Central Peru, 190 Km northwest of Lima (U. S. C & GS, 1966.) Its focal depth was 60 Km .

Earthquake Effects: The earthquake affected a coastal belt 400 Km long and less than 50 Km wide, and severely damaged the towns of Huacho, Huaura, Puente Piedra and sectors of Lima-Callao. The highest intensity was ......

PHILIPPINES 1976: THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF AUGUST 16, 1976, IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS - The Moro Gulf Tsunami - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:38:27 -1000

On August 16, 1976, a devastating earthquake on the Cotabato Trench caused destruction on the island of Mindanao - the southernmost and largest of the Phillipine Islands.

The destructive tsunami that was generated in the Gulf of Moro and in the Celebes Sea killed about 8,000 people in coastal communities in North and South Zamboanga, North and South Lanao, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat (Mindanao), and in the neighboring Sulu Islands.

This was the worst earthquake and tsunami disaster in the history of the Phillilines. Also, ......

PORTUGAL 1755: THE GREAT LISBON EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF 1 NOVEMBER 1755 - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:38:39 -1000

(Excerpts from archives compiled in preparaation of a Catalog of Tsunamis in the Atlantic Ocean, World Data Center A- Tsunami U.S. Dept. of Commerce Environmental Science Service Administration - Coast and Geodetic Survey, May 1969)

In the morning of November 1, 1755, a large earthquake struck Lisbon - a great city legendary for its wealth, prosperity and sophistication. It was Sunday and the religious holiday of All Saints. Most of Lisbon's population of 250,000 were praying in six magnificent cathedrals, including the great Basilica de Sao Vincente de Fora. Within minutes, this great thriving city-port of Lisbon, capital of Portugal and of the vast Portuguese empire and seat of learning in Europe, was reduced to rubble by the two major shocks of this great earthquake and the waves of the subsequent catastrophic tsunami. A huge fire .........

RUSSIA 1952: THE NOVEMBER 4,1952 KAMCHATKA EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:38:51 -1000

(Excerpts from the archives to the Catalogs of Tsunami in the Hawaiian Islands. World Data Center A- Tsunami U.S. Dept. of Commerce Environmental Science Service Administration Coast and Geodetic Survey, May 1969)

On November 4, 1952, at 16:52 GMT, a strong earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, in the far east of Russia, gnerated a great destructive Pacific-wide tsunami. The tsunami waves struck the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and other areas of Russia's Far East, and caused considerable damage and loss of life. The tsunami caused severe damage along the Pacific coastal area of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and was also very damaging in the Hawaiian Islands. There was .........

SAMOAN ISLANDS: HISTORICAL TSUNAMI CATALOG

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:03:20 -1000

Historical Tsunami Catalog of Western and American Samoa. 75 pages, PDF

USA - HAWAII 1968, 1975: EVALUATION OF THE THREAT OF MEGA TSUNAMI GENERATION FROM POSTULATED MASSIVE SLOPE FAILURES OF ISLAND VOLCANOES ON LA PALMA, CANARY ISLANDS, AND ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:39:59 -1000

Paper published in Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol 20, No.5, pages 251-277, 2002. (Modified html format)
Original may be downloaded as pdf document from www.sthjournal.org

Massive flank failures of island stratovolcanoes are extremely rare phenomena and none have occurred within recorded history. Recent numerical modeling studies, forecasting mega tsunami generation from postulated, massive slope failures of Cumbre Vieja in La Palma, Canary Islands, and Kilauea, in Hawaii, have been based on incorrect assumptions of volcanic island slope instability, source dimensions, speed of failure and tsunami coupling mechanisms. Incorrect input parameters and treatment of wave energy propagation and dispersion, have led to overestimates of tsunami far field effects. Inappropriate media attention and publicity to such probabilistic results have created unnecessary anxiety that mega tsunamis may be imminent and may devastate densely populated coastlines at locations distant from the source - in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The present study examines ........

HAWAII 2006: THE EARTHQUAKE OF OCTOBER 15, 2006 IN HAWAII - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:10:19 -1000

In the morning of October 15, 2006, two strong earthquakes occurred on the underwater segment of the major rift zone of the Hualalai volcano on the Northwest side of the Island of Hawaii. The earthquakes affected mostly the North Kona and the Kohala areas of the island but extensive damage occurred also in the islands of Maui and Oahu. There were many injuries but no deaths were reported. No tsunami of significance was generated.

Earthquake Origin Time, Epicenter, Magnitude, Focal Depth and Aftershocks .........

USA-ALASKA 1958: THE MEGA-TSUNAMI OF JULY 9, 1958 IN LITUYA BAY, ALASKA: Analysis of Mechanism - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:40:26 -1000

Excerpts from Presentation at the Tsunami Symposium of the tsunami Society of May 25-27, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

On July 9, 1958, a large earthquake along the Fairweather Fault struck Southeastern Alaska. A combination of disturbances triggered by the earthquake generated a mega-tsunami wave that rose to a maximum height of 1,720 feet (516 m) at the head of Lituya Bay. The extreme height of the wave and the mechanism of its generation were puzzling. There were question ........

USA-ALASKA 1964:THE GREAT ALASKA EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF MARCH 28, 1964 - Source Mechanism Study - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:41:06 -1000

Excerpts from studies of the earthquake and tsunami undertaken under contract with the National Science Foundation under the U S - Japan program for cooperative research in the Pacific and for the U.S. Navy, Office of Naval Research - published in the University of Hawaii Institute of Geophysics Reports, in Pacific Science, and in the Volume on Seismology and Geodesy on the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, by the National Academy of Sciences).

The greatest earthquake of the 20th century in the northern hemisphere occurred in the Prince William Sound of Alaska on March 28, 1964. It was felt over a large area of Alaska and in parts of Western Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada. Earthquake - induced landslides triggered numerous local destructive tsunamis within the Prince William Sound. A Pacific-wide tsunami was generated by the earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska. The following is a brief summary of the geologic history and general geomorphology of the area affected by the great earthquake and of the source mechanism of the major tsunami that was generated in the Gulf of Alaska. A brief discussion is provided on the volume of crustal displacements, on the dimensions of the tsunami-generating area - as estimated by an inverse tsunami wave refraction method - and on the estimates of earthquake and tsunami energies. The near and far field effects of the Pacific-wide tsunami are briefly discussed. Additional links to further studies are provided. .....

USA-ALASKA 1964: SOURCE MECHANISM STUDY OF THE ALASKA EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF 27 MARCH 1964. PART I. WATER WAVES. PART II. ANALYSIS OF RAYLEIGH WAVE - by Drs. George Pararas-Carayannis and Augustine Furumoto

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:41:51 -1000

HAWAII INSTITUTE OF GEOPHYSICS REPORT HIG-65-17 (42 pages)
Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu / Prepared for the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research / As abstracted by Storming Media - Pentagon Reports

The geologic history and a shrt descriptio of the general geomorphology of the area affected by the 27 March 1964 Alaska earthquake are given. The extent of crustal displacement and the limits of the areas of subsidence and uplift as revealed by geologic evidence are discussed, as well s the method by which the tsunamigenerating area was determined.

The dimensions of this tsunami-generating area, its volume of crustal displacement, and the energy associated with the tsunami are calculated. There follows a short discussion on wave activity within and outside the generating area, and the possible generating mechanisms for the tsunami.Included as an appendix are two wave refraction diagrams of the Alaska tsunami drawn for the north Pacific Ocean area.

The source mechanism of the Alaska Earthquake of 27 Mar 1964 was investigated by analyzing the Rayleigh wave recorded on the strain seismograph at Kipapa Station, Hawaii. The parameters that gave the best fit to the observed data were: rupture length of 800 km, rupture velocity of 3 km/sec, and direction of rupture line of S30 deg W. The results of this analysis compared favorably with field data of elevation changes, with distribution of epicenters of aftershocks, and with the area of generation of the tsunami as obtained from sea wave refraction diagrams. ....

USA-CALIFORNIA 1964: The Effects of the March 27, 1964 Alaska Tsunami In California - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:42:04 -1000

The Great Alaskan Earthquake of 28 March 1964 (UTC date - 27 March local date)) generated a great tsunami which was extremely damaging, not only in Alaska, but along Vancouver Island and Northern California. The tsunami waves affected the entire California coastline but were particularly high from Crescent City to Monterey with heights ranging from 2.1 - 6.3 meters (7-21 feet). Eleven persons lost their lives in Crescent City and tsunami damage was estimated at $7,414,000(1964 dollars). The estimated losses elsewhere along California were between $1,500,000 and $2,375,000 (1964 dollars). Extensive damage occurred also in the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.

Effects of the tsunami waves in California .........

USA-CALIFORNIA 1812: THE SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKES & TSUNAMI (S) OF DECEMBER 1812 - by Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:42:30 -1000

(Excerpts from a study of historical tsunamis in California undertaken under contract with Marine Advisors, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency and the U. S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center in connection with the licencing of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and subsequent licencing of Units 2 and 3)

As mentioned elsewhere in these pages, the relative tsunami threat for local tsunamis in California can be considered as being relatively low because of the low recurrence frequencies. Large, locally-generated tsunamis in California are estimated to occur once every 100 years. Thirteen possible tsunamis have been observed or recorded from local earthquakes between 1812 and 1988. These tsunami events were poorly documented and some are very questionable. There is no doubt that earthquakes occurring along submarine faults off Santa Barbara, could generate large destructive local tsunamis. In fact in December of 1812, local earthquakes occured, each capable of tsunami generation. Perhaps the size of the 1812 tsunami was exaggerated in the historical records, but one and possibly two large tsunami events did occur in the area. .........