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You are here: Home / Geography / What Was the Highest Tsunami Ever Recorded On Earth and What Does the Word Tsunami Mean In Japanese?

What Was the Highest Tsunami Ever Recorded On Earth and What Does the Word Tsunami Mean In Japanese?

July 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

The highest tsunami on record took place in Lituya Bay, Alaska, in 1958.

This tsunami was caused by an earthquake and created a massive landslide that caused part of a mountain to fall into the bay.

The wave that resulted was 1,700 feet (518 m) high, higher than any skyscraper on Earth.

The event was a megatsunami which is defined as a wave reaching more than 100 meters (328 feet) in the deep ocean.

The earthquake had been the strongest in over 50 years for this region.

The word tsunami means “harbor” (tsu, 津) and “wave” (nami, 波) in Japanese.

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Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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