Natural Hazards: Causes and Effects - Disaster Management Center ...

foundations by the water buoyancy. Damage was also caused by erosion of sand beaches and
foreshores, and water flooding produced considerable loss in house furnishings and personal
property. 1
Chilean Tsunami, May 22, 1960
Description of a Tsunami
Figure 3.1
The earthquake and tsunami arose from a massive disturbance of the ocean bottom along the
coast of central Chile under the South American trench and the Andes. The tsunami traveled
over the Pacific Ocean, hitting the coast of Japan about 22 hours after the shock and spreading
around the Pacific Ocean, creating damage at many places.
The coastal deformation in this earthquake was enormous, extending from 38 to 43 degrees
south along the Chilean coast. Uplift of the ground was observed from one to two meters (13
miles) at Isla Mocha and Isla Guafo at the ends of the fault area, while at Corral and Maullan, in
the middle part of the region, the ground subsided about two meters. With three large waves,
the tsunami attacked the coast about 15 minutes after the earthquake. Inundation caused a
great deal of damage. The dead were estimated at 909 and the missing at 834, of which many
were due to the tsunami waves. When the tsunami reached the coastal regions of Japan a
great deal of damage resulted. About 120 people lost their lives. Thousands of houses were
washed away or flooded and many hundreds of ships were sunk or destroyed. 2
Geographical Distribution
Tsunamis have occurred in all the oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea, but the great majority
of them are observed in the Pacific Ocean, which is ringed, from New Zealand through East
Asia, the Aleutians and the western coasts of the Americas as far as the South Shetland
Islands, by zones of high seismic and volcanic activity. About 180 tsunamis were recorded in