| Year | Location | Main Article | Primary Cause | Description |
| 1952 | Hokkaido, Japan | 1952 Tokachi earthquake | Earthquake | On 4 March 1952 a magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the southeast coast of Hokkaido generated a tsunami that reached it greatest height of 6.5 metres (21 ft) in Akkeshi Bay. A 2-metre (6 ft 7 in) wave struck Hachinohe. The earthquake and tsunami combined killed 28 people, injured 287, and left five missing. Property damage included 815 houses completely destroyed, 1,324 half-damaged, and 6,395 partially damaged, with 20 lost to fire and 1,621 rendered uninhabitable. The tsunami swept away 91 houses, flooded 328 others, and damaged 451 ships and boats. In Hamanaka. where it destroyed numerous homes, the tsunami apparently pushed drift ice ashore, exacerbating the damage. |
| 1952 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, United States | | Landslide | A 15,000,000-cubic-yard (11,000,000 m3) landslide 3 miles (4.8 km) below the Kettle Falls Bridge in April 1952 generated a tsunami which reached a maximum height of 65 feet (20 m) along the opposite shore of the lake. The wave was observed on the lake as far as 6 miles (9.7 km) away. |
| 1952 | Severo-Kurilsk, Kuril Islands, USSR | 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake | Earthquake | On 5 November 1952, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a tsunami. Three waves with heights of 12 to 18 metres (39 to 59 ft) killed 2,336 people at Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands in the Soviet Union. The tsunami also caused property damage in Hawaii. |
| 1952 | Sullorsuaq Strait, Greenland | | Landslide | On 15 December 1952, a landslide that began at an elevation of 500 to 700 metres (1,640 to 2,297 ft) on a slope of the mountain Niiortuut on the southern coast of western Greenland′s Nuussuaq Peninsula deposited between 1,800,000 and 4,500,000 cubic metres (2,400,000 and 5,900,000 cu yd) of material in Sullorsuaq Strait (known in Danish as Vaigat Strait), generating a tsunami. With a run-up height of 4.5 to 7.7 metres (15 to 25 ft), it struck a group of four fishermen 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away on the southern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, killing one. Then it struck the town of Qullissat 30 kilometres (19 mi) away across the strait on Disko Island, where it had a run-up height of 2.2 to 2.7 metres (7 ft 3 in to 8 ft 10 in). |
| 1953 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, United States | | Landslides | A series of landslides about 100 miles (161 km) upstream from Grand Coulee Dam in February 1953 generated a series of tsunamis with a maximum run-up height of 16 feet (4.9 m) along the opposite shore of the lake. Waves crossed the 5,000-foot (1,520 m) wide lake in an average of 90 seconds, indicating an average speed of almost 38 miles per hour (61 km/h). |
| 1953 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, United States | | Landslides | A series of landslides at Reed Terrace between April and August 1953 generated tsunamis at least 11 times. The largest of them reached a maximum height of 65 feet (20 m) along the opposite shore of the lake and was observed as far as 6 miles (9.7 km) away. One of the waves reached a speed of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). |
| 1956 | Amorgos, Greece | 1956 Amorgos earthquake | Earthquake | On 9 July 1956, 53 deaths occurred during the largest earthquake of the 20th century in Greece. Santorini was damaged, and a localized tsunami affected the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups. A maximum run-up of 30 m (98 ft) was observed off the south coast of Amorgos. |
| 1957 | Andreanof Islands, United States | 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake | Earthquake | On 9 March 1957 an 8.6 earthquake struck the Andreanof Islands, triggering a tsunami. The wave was highest on Unimak Island in the Aleutian Islands, where it was as high as 23 m (75 ft), and where a run-up height of 12 to 15 metres (39 to 49 ft) was observed at Scotch Cap Light, Trappers Cove recorded a wave height of 13.7 m (45 ft), and an 8-metre (26 ft) wave hit Sand Bay. In Hawaii, the wave was 16.1 metres (53 ft) tall at Haena, Kauai, 7 m (23 ft) along the north coast of Oahu, 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) at Kahului, Maui, and up to 9.8 m (32 ft) along the coast of the island of Hawaii, including 3.9 m (13 ft) at Hilo. The highest wave to strike Chile was 2.0 m (6.7 ft) at Valparaíso. Smaller waves were observed on the coasts of mainland Alaska, California, Mexico, Central America, Peru, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Chuuk, and Guam. |
| 1958 | Lituya Bay, Alaska, U.S. | 1958 Lituya Bay, Alaska earthquake and megatsunami | Earthquake-triggered landslide | On the night of 9 July 1958, an earthquake on the Fairweather Fault in Alaska loosened about 40 million cubic yards (30 million cubic metres) of rock 3,000 feet (910 m) above the northeast shore of Lituya Bay. The impact in the waters of Gilbert Inlet generated a local tsunami that crashed against the southwest coast and swept the spur separating Gilbert Inlet from the main Lituya Bay. The wave continued through Lituya Bay, over La Chaussee Spit and into the Gulf of Alaska. The force of the wave removed all trees and vegetation from a height of 1,720 feet (520 m) above sea level. This is the highest wave ever recorded. The scale of this wave was much larger than ordinary tsunamis, eventually leading to the new category of megatsunamis. |
| 1958 | Kuril Islands, Soviet Union | 1958 Kuril Islands earthquake | Earthquake-triggered landslide | A magnitude 8.3 to 8.4 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off Iturup in the Kuril Islands on 6 November 1958 generated a tsunami with a height of up to 5 metres (16 ft) at Shikotan, 2 to 4 metres (7 to 13 ft) at Iturup, and up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in northern Hokkaido, Japan. The wave also was noted at Wake Island, Midway Atoll, Hawaii, Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, California, and Peru. An aftershock on 12 November produced a 1-metre (3 ft 3 in) tsunami at Iturup, with wave action also noted at Hachinohe, Japan, and on Adak Island in the Aleutians.[page needed] |
| 1960 | Valdivia, Chile, and Pacific Ocean | 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake | Earthquake | The magnitude 9.5 earthquake of 22 May 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded, generated one of the most destructive tsunamis of the 20th century. The tsunami spread across the Pacific Ocean, with waves measuring up to 25 metres (82 ft) high in places. The first tsunami wave hit Hilo, Hawaii, approximately 15 hours after its origin. The highest wave at Hilo Bay was measured at around 10.7 m (35 ft). 61 people died, allegedly due to people not heeding the warning sirens. Nearly 22 hours after the earthquake, waves up to 3 metres (10 ft) above high tide hit the coast of Sanriku in Japan, killing 142 people. Up to 6,000 people died in total worldwide from the earthquake and tsunami. |
| 1963 | Vajont Dam, Monte Toc, Italy | Vajont Dam | Landslide | The Vajont Dam as seen from Longarone on 25 September 2012, showing the top 60 to 70 metres (197 to 230 ft). The 200–250-metre (656–820-foot) megatsunami would have obscured virtually all of the sky in this picture. The Vajont Dam was completed in 1961 under Monte Toc, 100 km (62 mi) north of Venice, Italy. At 262 metres (860 ft), it was one of the tallest dams in the world. On 9 October 1963 a landslide of some 260,000,000 cubic metres (340,000,000 cu yd) of forest, dirt, and rock fell into the reservoir at speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph). The resulting water displacement caused 50,000,000 cubic metres (65,000,000 cu yd) of water to overflow the dam in a megatsunami wave 250 metres (820 ft) high. The resulting flood destroyed the villages of Longarone, Pirago, Rivalta, Villanova, and Faè, killing 1,450 people. Almost 2,000 people perished in total. |
| 1963 | Urup, Kuril Islands | | Earthquake | A magnitude 8.5 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off Urup on 13 October 1963 generated a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Okhotsk with run-up heights of as much as 4 to 5 metres (13.1 to 16.4 ft) |
| 1964 | Alaska, U.S. and Pacific Ocean | 1964 Alaska earthquake | Earthquake | After the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday earthquake of 27 March 1964, tsunamis hit Alaska, British Columbia, California, and coastal cities in the Pacific Northwest, killing 121 people. Waves reached 100 feet (30 m) high and killed 11 people as far away as Crescent City, California. |
| 1964 | Niigata, Japan | 1964 Niigata earthquake | Earthquake | On 16 June 1964, 28 people died, and entire apartment buildings were destroyed by soil liquefaction. The subsequent tsunami destroyed the port of Niigata. |
| 1965 | Shemya Island, Alaska | 1965 Rat Islands earthquake | Earthquake | The Rat Islands earthquake of 3 February 1965, generated a 10.7-metre (35 ft) tsunami on Shemya Island. |
| 1968 | Aomori and Hokkaido, Japan | 1968 Tokachi earthquake | Earthquake | On 16 May 1968, an 8.3 earthquake occurred off Aomori and Hokkaido Prefecture. A tsunami as high as 6 m (20 ft) hit the shores. |
| 1969 | Portugal, Morocco | 1969 Portugal earthquake | Earthquake | On 28 February 1969, a large underwater earthquake off the coast of Portugal generated a tsunami that affected both Portugal and Morocco. |
| 1975 | Hawaii, United States | 1975 Hawaii earthquake | Earthquake | On 29 November 1975 a 7.4 earthquake affected Hawaii, triggering a 14-metre (46 ft) tsunami and a small brief eruption of the Kilauea volcano. |
| 1976 | Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Philippines | 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake | Earthquake | On 17 August 1976 at 00:11, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the island of Mindanao, Philippines. The resulting tsunami devastated more than 700 km (430 mi) of coastline bordering the Gulf of Moro in the North Celebes Sea. Estimated casualties included 5,000 dead, 2,200 missing, 9,500 injured, and 93,500 homeless. Affected cities include Cotabato, Pagadian, and Zamboanga, and the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, and Zamboanga del Sur. |
| 1979 | Tumaco, Colombia | 1979 Tumaco earthquake | Earthquake | magnitude earthquake occurred on 12 December 1979 at 02:59 along the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. The earthquake and resulting tsunami destroyed at least six fishing villages and killed hundreds of people in the Colombian Department of Nariño. The earthquake was felt in Bogotá, Cali, Popayán, Buenaventura, Guayaquil, Esmeraldas, and Quito. The tsunami caused great destruction in the city of Tumaco, as well as in the towns of El Charco, San Juan, Mosquera, and Salahonda on the Pacific coast of Colombia. Casualties included 259 dead, 798 injured and 95 missing or presumed dead. |
| 1980 | Spirit Lake, Washington, U.S. | Spirit Lake (Washington), 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Mount St. Helens | Volcanic eruption | On 18 May 1980, in the course of a major eruption of Mount St. Helens, the upper 460 metres (1,510 ft) of the mountain failed, causing a major landslide. One lobe of the landslide rose into nearby Spirit Lake, creating a megatsunami 260 metres (850 ft) high. |
| 1983 | Sea of Japan | 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake | Earthquake | On 26 May 1983 at 11:59 local time, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred in the Sea of Japan, about 100 km (62 mi) west of the Noshiro coast in Akita Prefecture. Of the 107 fatalities, all but four were killed by the resulting tsunami, which hit communities along the coast, especially Aomori and Akita Prefectures and the Noto Peninsula. Footage of the tsunami hitting the fishing port of Wajima on Noto Peninsula was broadcast on TV. The waves exceeded 10 metres (33 ft) in some areas. Three of the deaths occurred along the east coast of South Korea (whether North Korea was affected is not known). The tsunami also hit Okushiri Island. |
| 1992 | Nicaragua | 1992 Nicaragua earthquake | Earthquake | On 1 September 1992 a 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Nicaragua and sent a devastating tsunami to the coast of the department of Rivas, killing an estimated 116 people. The magnitude of the wave, 9.9 m (32 ft) high, was unusually large given the magnitude of the earthquake. |
| 1992 | Indonesia | 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami | Earthquake | A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Flores, Indonesia, on 12 December 1992. The earthquake produced a devastating 25-metre (82 ft) high tsunami that hit the island and ran inland up to 300 metres (980 ft) shortly after the earthquake. About 2,500 people were killed or missing, including 1,490 at Maumere and 700 in Babi. More than 500 people were injured and 90,000 left homeless. Damage was assessed at more than 100 million US dollars. |
| 1993 | Okushiri, Hokkaido, Japan | 1993 Hokkaido earthquake | Earthquake | A devastating tsunami wave hit Hokkaido in Japan as a result of a magnitude 7.8 offshore 80 miles (130 km) on 12 July 1993. Within minutes, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning that was broadcast on NHK in English and Japanese (archived at NHK library). However, on Okushiri, a small island near the epicenter, some waves reaching 30 metres (98 ft) hit two to five minutes after the earthquake. Despite being surrounded by tsunami barriers, Aonae, a town on a low-lying peninsula, was hit over the next hour by 13 waves over two metres (6 ft 7 in) high that came from multiple directions, including waves that bounced off Hokkaido. Of the 250 people killed as a result of the earthquake, 197 were victims of the tsunami that hit Okushiri; the waves also caused deaths in Hokkaido. While many residents, recalling the May 1983 tsunami (see above), survived by evacuating on foot, many others underestimated how soon the waves would arrive (the 1983 tsunami took 17 minutes to hit Okushiri) and died trying to evacuate by car. The highest tsunami wave was 31 metres (102 ft) high. |
| 1994 | Java | 1994 Java earthquake | Earthquake | 250 dead as a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and tsunami hit east Java and Bali on 3 June 1994. |
| 1994 | Shikotan, Kuril Islands | | Earthquake | A magnitude 8.3 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off Shikotan on 4 October 1994 generated a tsunami with a run-up height of as much as 10 metres (33 ft) on Shikotan. |
| 1998 | Papua New Guinea | 1998 Papua New Guinea earthquake | Earthquake | On 17 July 1998, a tsunami in Papua New Guinea killed an estimated 2,200 people. An earthquake of magnitude 7.1, 24 km (15 mi) from the coast was followed in 11 minutes by a tsunami about 15 metres (49 ft) high. The tsunami was generated by an underwater landslide, which was triggered by the earthquake. The towns of Arop and Warapu were destroyed. |
| 1999 | Sea of Marmara | 1999 İzmit earthquake | Earthquake | On 17 August 1999 an earthquake caused a tsunami in the Sea of Marmara, with a maximum water height of 2.52 m. 150 people died when the city of Degirmendere was flooded and another five were washed into the sea in Ulaşlı. |