1896 Sanriku earthquake

1896 CE.

Shown on the map at 39.500°, 144.000°.

An 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 (local time) on June 15, 1896, on the Sanriku coast in Honshu, Japan. It resulted in two tsunami waves which destroyed about 9,000 homes and caused at least 22,000 deaths. It was one of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history. The waves reached a then-record height of 38.2 metres (125 ft); this would remain the highest on record until waves from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake exceeded that height by more than 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). From the tsunami records the estimated tsunami's magnitude is (Mt = 8.2), much greater than expected for the seismic magnitude estimated from the observed seismic intensity (Ms=7.2). This earthquake is now regarded as being part of a distinct class of seismic events, the tsunami earthquake.

Text from the Wikipedia article 1896 Sanriku earthquake, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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