Tsunamis in China

In a total of 14 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1640 a total of 59 people died in China. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.

The strongest tidal wave registered in China so far reached a height of 20 meters. At this Tsunami on 05/22/1960 a total of 2 people have been killed.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 03/28/1964.

Other natural hazards in China:
› Earthquake
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide

Back to overview: China

The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 380 years.

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.

The largest tsunamis in China since 1640

Date	Cause	max wave height	Deaths
03/11/2011	Earthquake in Japan (Honshu Island) with a magnitude of 9.1. The tsunami caused damages in 33 further countries. A total of 18,453 humans died.	unknown	4
02/27/2010	Earthquake in Chile (Central Chile) with a magnitude of 8.8. The tsunami caused damages in 21 further countries. A total of 156 humans died.	unknown	2
12/26/2006	Earthquake in China (Taiwan) with a magnitude of 7.0.	unknown	6
01/05/1992	Earthquake in China (South China Sea) with a magnitude of 3.7.	unknown	10
03/28/1964	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Prince William Sound, Ak) with a magnitude of 9.2. The tsunami caused damages in 27 further countries. A total of 124 humans died.	unknown	2
05/22/1960	Earthquake in Chile (Southern Chile) with a magnitude of 9.5. The tsunami caused damages in 31 further countries. A total of 2,226 humans died.	20m	2
11/04/1952	Earthquake in Russia (Kamchatka) with a magnitude of 9.0. The tsunami caused damages in 21 further countries. A total of 10,000 humans died.	unknown	2
02/13/1918	Earthquake, landslide in China (Guangdong Province) with a magnitude of 7.5.	unknown	1
01/25/1917	Earthquake in China (South China Sea) with a magnitude of 6.5.	unknown	2
12/18/1867	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. China Sea) with a magnitude of 7.0.	unknown	2
12/24/1854	Earthquake in Japan (Nankaido) with a magnitude of 8.4. The tsunami also reached United States, Japan. A total of 3,000 humans died.	unknown	1
08/19/1670	Earthquake in China (East China Sea) with a magnitude of 6.8.	unknown	5
07/25/1668	Earthquake in China (Tancheng, Shandong Province) with a magnitude of 8.5.	unknown	16
09/16/1640	Earthquake in China (South China Sea)	unknown	4

These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.