tsunami

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Experts Untangle Reasons Tsunami Wasn't Worse

The warnings issued after earthquake worked, scientists say

(Newser) - The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of the Russian Far East triggered tsunami warnings in places including Hawaii and California, prompting evacuations and preparations. Later the same morning, it became clear that the tsunami reality was something of a letdown—in a good way. Even if everyone...

Pacific Largely Escapes Tsunami Wrath

No major damage has been reported so far after Pacific suffer largest earthquake in years

(Newser) - A tsunami sent waves into Russia, Japan, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the United States after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Russian Far East early Wednesday. It was one of the biggest temblors ever recorded, reports the AP . Several people were injured, but none...

Tsunami Advisory Issued for Entire West Coast

Hawaiians urged to get to higher ground after massive 8.8 quake near Russia

(Newser) - Tsunami warning sirens blared Tuesday in Honolulu and people were told to move to higher ground after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern coast. Traffic was backed up in some neighborhoods in Honolulu, and officials were preparing to open a mountain pass as an evacuation route out...

Giant Inland Boulder a Remnant of Ancient Tsunami
Giant Inland Boulder a
Remnant of Ancient Tsunami
new study
Jun 1, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

Giant Inland Boulder a Remnant of Ancient Tsunami

Researchers say rock was carried more than 650 feet from the Tongan coast

(Newser) - A massive 1,200-ton boulder stranded far inland in Tonga has been revealed as one of the world's largest wave-transported rocks, shedding a light on the history of tsunamis in the region. The Maka Lahi ("Big Rock") boulder—which farmers directed the researchers to—came as...

Northwest Coast Could Drop 6 Feet With Overdue Quake

'We could have a disaster on the scale of Japan 2011 or Sumatra 2004'

(Newser) - Major earthquakes of magnitude 9 or higher typically occur every 500 years or so along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, stretching for 600 miles offshore from Northern California to Vancouver Island. The last "Big One" to strike came in 1700. But geologists estimate quakes around magnitude 8 hit the zone'...

Robot Returns to Depths of Fukushima

'Telesco' enters reactor for deeper extraction of molten debris

(Newser) - A remote-controlled robot delved a second time inside Fukushima's damaged reactor, navigating the depths of the nuclear disaster site to collect melted fuel debris 14 years after the tsunami. As the AP reports, this follows an initial retrieval attempt in November in an effort to develop technology and...

How to Avoid Repeating the Tragedy of the 2004 Tsunami

USC engineering professor looks at the warning failures and the work still to be done

(Newser) - Twenty years to the day later, the number remains hard to comprehend. A tsunami that emerged off the coast of Indonesia killed 230,000 people, not only in Indonesia but in several other countries. In a New York Times essay, USC engineering professor Costas Synolakis explores the warning and communication...

'Unprecedented' Seismic Signal Reveals a 650-Foot Tsunami

Wave became trapped in Greenland's Dickson Fjord last year, researchers find

(Newser) - Thankfully, no one was around to experience a 650-foot-high mega tsunami that sprung up close to a cruise ship route on Greenland's east coast last year, but scientists know it happened based in part on seismic waves. A seismic signal showed that the Earth shook over nine consecutive days...

In Glacier Country, Situation Seems Poised 'to Explode'

Geologist warns that tourists in Alaska, elsewhere are flocking to risky spots ripe for tsunamis

(Newser) - A tsunami hasn't killed anyone on a boat in Alaska in 60 years. But there are fears that, soon, "[the situation] is going to explode," as geologist Bretwood Higman tells Hakai Magazine . Amid climate change, "the steep slopes of southeastern Alaska's numerous fjords are becoming...

Massive Quake Hits Taiwan, Causes Tsunami
Taiwan Hit by
Most Powerful
Quake in 25 Years
UPDATED
Apr 3, 2024 6:01 AM CDT

Taiwan Hit by Most Powerful Quake in 25 Years

9 dead, hundreds wounded as quake collapsed buildings in eastern city

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings in an eastern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands. It was the island's most powerful quake in 25 years.
  • Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2
...

The Impact Boiled the Ocean. But It Wasn't All Bad
The Impact Boiled the Ocean.
But It Wasn't All Bad
in case you missed it
Dec 24, 2023 7:39 AM CST

The Impact Boiled the Ocean. But It Wasn't All Bad

Scientists believe S2 impact held some benefits for early life 3.26B years ago

(Newser) - Billions of years before a smaller asteroid slammed Earth, triggering a global blackout that would wipe out the dinosaurs, a rock four times the size of Mount Everest made an even bigger splash. Researchers have long known about the impact, dubbed S2, which occurred 3.26 billion years ago, based...

First a 7.6 Magnitude Quake, Now a Tsunami Warning

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday night off the coast of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, and Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning. The quake struck at 10:37pm local time at a depth of 20 miles, according to the US Geological Survey....

Fukushima Disaster: Court Sides With TEPCO Shareholders

Former TEPCO execs were found liable and ordered to pay $95B

(Newser) - A decade ago, 48 Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) shareholders sued a group of former executives, demanding they pay up over their failure to prevent the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. They wanted $160 billion to be paid to the company; on Wednesday, a Tokyo court ordered...

The Pacific Northwest Isn't Ready for This Tsunami

The evacuation options just aren't there for tens of thousands of people

(Newser) - "It’s going to dwarf the scale of any disaster we have ever had. We know it’s coming." So Chris Goldfinger of Oregon State University tells the New York Times . He's talking about a massive—think magnitude 9.0—quake along the Cascadia fault off the...

Tongans Celebrate 'Real Life Aquaman' Who Survived Tsunami

Lisala Folau lived through a 27-hour, 8-mile ordeal at sea before landing 3 islands away from home

(Newser) - It appears major catastrophe was averted on Tonga after a volcanic eruption and tsunami over the weekend, but Lisala Folau still had quite an ordeal in the aftermath. As communications with the island are slowly being restored , the Tonga man's story is getting out, and it's a wild...

After Tonga's Massive Eruption, 'Very Good News'

'Catastrophic' disaster was apparently averted, though at least 2 have died and ash is everywhere

(Newser) - The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion. And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the volcano that erupted so violently on...

South Pacific Tsunami Cleared the Fog in Seattle
South Pacific Tsunami
Cleared the Fog in Seattle
the rundown
Jan 17, 2022 8:38 AM CST

South Pacific Tsunami Cleared the Fog in Seattle

No reports of mass casualties in Tonga, though a British woman is missing

(Newser) - Just how big was the volcanic eruption near the South Pacific island nation of Tonga over the weekend? Researchers say it was likely the biggest such eruption on the planet in the last 30 years, reports CNN . The eruption of the undersea volcano on Saturday sent a plume of ash...

First, a 'Violent' Eruption. Then, 'Darkness Blanketing the Sky'

Undersea volcano erupts near Tonga, waves crash to shore amid tsunami warning

(Newser) - An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of the damage as communications with the small nation, home to about...

Japan Marks 10th Anniversary of Triple Disaster

More than 18K died in earthquake, tsunami

(Newser) - Japan on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that hit its northeastern region, where many survivors' lives are still on hold. Carrying bouquets, many walked to the coast or visited graves to pray for relatives and friends washed away by the tsunami, the AP...

After Earthquake, an Order to Move to Higher Ground

New Zealand calls for evacuations after 8.1 quake hits off the coast

(Newser) - A powerful magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck in the ocean off the coast of New Zealand on Friday, prompting thousands of people to evacuate and triggering tsunami warnings across the South Pacific. The quake was the largest in a series of tremors that struck the region over several hours, including...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser