Asian Tsunami

One of the most terrible tsunami's in recent history that has been recorded is the tsunami that took place on December 26,2004 in the Indian Ocean. The this devestating event took the lives of 200,000 or more people and made many millions of people homeless. Down below are 2 videos that were taken by people who were able to survive.

Tsunami's Caused by Volcanoes

There have been a quite a few number of tsunami's that have been created by a volcanic eruption. Two of the most well know eruptions are those of Mt. Vesuvius(Italy) in 79 A.D. and Mt. St. Helens (U.S.A.) in 1980.

Although Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. St. Helens are more well known eruptions that caused tsunami's, there have been more eruptions that have occured elsewhere that have also caused much destruction. Taal is a volcano in the Philippines that has erupted many times over the years that has caused many tsunami's in that area.
If you would like to see some other tsunami's that were created by a volcano just click here.

Tsunami's

Tsunami's are usually caused by undersea earthquakes. Most of the time it takes an earthquake with a magnitude of more than a 7.5 on the Richter scale to cause a tsunami. To see an animation click here.

Another cause for a tsunami could be a volcanic eruption or an undersea landslide but these rarely cause tsunami's. One of the most rare causes of a tsunami could be a meteor or asteroid hitting the earth in the middle of the ocean.

Deadly Tsunami's in Recent Years

One of the deadliest tsunami's that has taken place in recent years is the tsunami that took place in 2004 in the Indian Ocean. The earthquake that caused this tsunami was the 4th largest that took place in the last 100 years . Also an earthquake like the one that caused this tsunami hasn't take place in the last 40 years. In this disaster over 220,000 people had died and nearly 5 million people became homeless. Many people could suffer diseases caused by polluted water, damaged sanitation systems and the crowed living conditions. Although, much damage has been done to infastructure, and for a large portion of people a livelihood has been destroyed, especially if they had anything to do with agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. Apart from that this is the largest and most deadliest tsunami that has taken place. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has claimed more lives then any other tsunami that has taken place in the last century.