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You are here: Home / Economy / Tsunami

June 29, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves generated by sudden displacements in the sea floor, landslides or volcanic activity. In the deep ocean, the tsunami wave may only be a few inches high.

The tsunami wave may come gently ashore or may increase in height to become a fast moving wall of turbulent water several meters high.

On March 27, 1868, whaling ships at Kawaihae on the west coast of Hawaiʻi observed dense clouds of smoke rising from Mauna Loa’s crater, Mokuʻāweoweo, to a height of several miles and reflecting the bright light from the lava pit.

On the 28th, lava broke out on the southwest flank and created a 15-mile flow to the sea. Over 300 strong shocks were felt at Kaʻū and 50 to 60 were felt at Kona.

At Kilauea, the surface of the ground quivered for days with frequent vigorous shocks that caused lamps, crockery and chairs to spin around as if animated.

Between March 28, 1868 and April 11, over 2,000 distinct shocks were felt at Kona. The main shocks struck on April 2, at 4:00 p.m., and again on April 4 at 12:30 a.m., the epicenter was located near Waiohinu.

A tsunami struck the coast from Hilo to South Cape, being most destructive at Keauhou, Puna and Honuʻapo; 180 houses were washed away and 62 lives were lost to the wave alone.

A 10-foot-high wave carried wreckage inland 800-feet. Not a house survived at Honuʻapo. A stone church and other buildings were destroyed at Punaluʻu.

Maximum wave heights were 65 feet, the highest observed on Hawaiʻi to date.

At Keauhou (now Keauhou Landing) the water rose 35-50-feet destroying all the houses and warehouses and drowning 46 people. At Hilo, the height of the wave was about 10-feet, and at Kealakekua, 6-feet. The tsunami also was observed on Maui and Oʻahu. Also felt on Lānaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi.

“The tidal wave was much greater than before stated. It rolled in over the tops of the cocoanut trees, probably sixty feet high, and drove the floating rubbish, timber, etc., inland a distance of a quarter of a mile in some places …”

“… taking out to sea when it returned, houses, men, women, and almost everything movable. The villages Punalu‘u, Ninole, Kawa‘a and Honuapo were utterly annihilated.” (American Journal of Science, 1868)

This major earthquake caused 77 deaths (tsunami, 46; landslide, 31).

Along the Puna coast, the land subsided in places as much as 6-feet. At Kaimū, trees stood about 8-feet deep in sand and water. The plain at Kalapana sank about 6-feet, and water stood as much as 5-feet deep over 20 acres of formerly dry land.

In the 20th century, an estimated 221 people have been killed by tsunamis. Most of these deaths occurred on the Big Island during the tsunamis of 1946 and 1960, two of the largest tsunamis to strike in the Pacific.

Here is a brief summary of some recent tsunami and their impacts in Hawai‘i:

1946
The tsunami of 1946 was generated by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands.

This tsunami struck the Big Island of Hawaii on April 1st. The tsunami flooded the downtown area of Hilo killing 159 people and causing more than $26-million in damages.

1952
On November 4, 1952 a tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the USSR.

In Hawaii, property damage from these waves was estimated at $800,000-$1,000,000 (1952 dollars); no lives were lost. The waves beached boats, caused houses to collide, destroyed piers, scoured beaches and moved road pavement.

1957
On March 9, 1957 a tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands.

It generated a 24-foot tsunami that did great damage on Adak Island, especially to the fuel and oil docks. The Hawaiian Islands incurred about $5,000,000 of damage in 1957 dollars. The highest wave in Hawaii was 12-feet.

1960
The tsunami of May 23, 1960 was generated by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Chile.

The 35-foot tsunami struck Hilo, Hawaii causing severe damage. 61-deaths were recorded and $23-million in damage occurred.

In the area of maximum destruction, only buildings of reinforced concrete or structural steel and a few others sheltered by these buildings, remained standing – and even these were generally gutted. Frame buildings were either crushed or floated nearly to the limits of the flooding.

1975
On November 29, 1975, an earthquake occurred off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

When the quake-generated tsunami struck, 32 campers were at Halape Beach Park. The sound of falling rocks from a nearby cliff, along with earth movement caused the campers to flee toward the ocean.

They were then forced back to the cliff by rising ocean waters. The first wave was 5-feet high, but the second wave was 26-feet high and carried the unfortunate campers into a ditch near the base of the cliff, where they remained until the ordeal ended. Two campers died and 19 suffered injuries.

2011
An earthquake measured at 9.0 magnitude, the sixth biggest since 1900, struck Japan on March 11, 2011.

The first tsunami waves reached Kaua‘i shortly after 3 a.m. and took about 30 minutes to sweep through the island chain. Waves above 6-feet were recorded at Kahului on Maui and 3-feet at Haleiwa on the north shore of Oahu.

Lost homes, sunken boats, Kona Village Resort damage, and damaged piers and roads caused tsunami damage into the tens of millions of dollars; no one was killed or injured during the tsunami.

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1960-Hilo-May 23, 1960. A huge tidal wave – a 50-footer
1960-Hilo-May 23, 1960. A huge tidal wave – a 50-footer
Tsunami_Awareness
Tsunami_Awareness
Modeled Movement of Tsunami Marine Debris
Modeled Movement of Tsunami Marine Debris
1946-Palace-tsunami-HTH
1946-Palace-tsunami-HTH
1946-Kanakea-Railway-damaged-2Bby-2B1946-2Btsunami-HI_County
1946-Kanakea-Railway-damaged-2Bby-2B1946-2Btsunami-HI_County
1946-Hilo-tsunami_Wave_Surges_up_Wailuku_River
1946-Hilo-tsunami_Wave_Surges_up_Wailuku_River
1960-Suisan-tsunami-NOAA
1960-Suisan-tsunami-NOAA
1960_Suisan-tsunami-HTH
1960_Suisan-tsunami-HTH
1960_Boats at Wailoa-tsunami-HTH
1960_Boats at Wailoa-tsunami-HTH
1946_Tsunami-Damage_(NOAA-NGDC, Orville T. Magoon)
1946_Tsunami-Damage_(NOAA-NGDC, Orville T. Magoon)
1946_Tsunami_Damage_(NOAA-NGDC-Orville T. Magoon)
1946_Tsunami_Damage_(NOAA-NGDC-Orville T. Magoon)
1952-Haleiwa-tsunami. 11-04-52-Aerial view of Kaika Bay near Haleiwa shows the 4th wave climbing up the beach (National Geophysical Data Center)
1952-Haleiwa-tsunami. 11-04-52-Aerial view of Kaika Bay near Haleiwa shows the 4th wave climbing up the beach (National Geophysical Data Center)
1952-Hilo-boats washed ashore along the Wailoa River during 1952 tsunami-Hilo
1952-Hilo-boats washed ashore along the Wailoa River during 1952 tsunami-Hilo
1950s-Haleiwa-shows people catching stranded fish during the receding tsunami at Hale'iwa.
1950s-Haleiwa-shows people catching stranded fish during the receding tsunami at Hale’iwa.
1957 tsunami. 03-09-57 Arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu. (National Geophysical Data Center).
1957 tsunami. 03-09-57 Arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu. (National Geophysical Data Center).
1957-Hanalei
1957-Hanalei
1957-Laie-tsunami. 03-09-57 Arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu. (National Geophysical Data Center).
1957-Laie-tsunami. 03-09-57 Arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu. (National Geophysical Data Center).
1960-Hilo destruction left in the wake of tsunami generated by earthquake of May 22, 1960, off the coast of Chile.
1960-Hilo destruction left in the wake of tsunami generated by earthquake of May 22, 1960, off the coast of Chile.
1960-Hilo-Hilo Waterfront - On May 22, 1960, at 19-11 GMT, an earthquake occurred off the coast of South Central Chile.
1960-Hilo-Hilo Waterfront – On May 22, 1960, at 19-11 GMT, an earthquake occurred off the coast of South Central Chile.
1960_Wailoa-tsunami-HTH
1960_Wailoa-tsunami-HTH
1960-Clock-Time_Stands_Still
1960-Clock-Time_Stands_Still
1960-Tsunami_Memorial_Clock
1960-Tsunami_Memorial_Clock
1960-Hilo-Path of tsunami map
1960-Hilo-Path of tsunami map
1975-Halape palm grove, dead from immersion in sea water.
1975-Halape palm grove, dead from immersion in sea water.
1975-Halape- view of the Halape coast after the 1975 tsunami.
1975-Halape- view of the Halape coast after the 1975 tsunami.
1975-Halape- view of the Halape coast before the 1975 tsunami.
1975-Halape- view of the Halape coast before the 1975 tsunami.
1975-Halape-Scout Troop 77 - Halape. Two days after this photo was taken on November 29, 1975, a 30-foot tsunami washed over their camp site.
1975-Halape-Scout Troop 77 – Halape. Two days after this photo was taken on November 29, 1975, a 30-foot tsunami washed over their camp site.
1975-Hilo_Boat
1975-Hilo_Boat
1975-Keauhou_Bay
1975-Keauhou_Bay
1975-Punaluu-locally generated tsunami. 11-29-75 Damage at Punalu'u, on the Big Island of Hawai'i. (Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives).
1975-Punaluu-locally generated tsunami. 11-29-75 Damage at Punalu’u, on the Big Island of Hawai’i. (Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives).
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_receding
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_receding
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_receding_at_dock
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_receding_at_dock
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging_at_dock
2009-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging_at_dock
2011_Kailua_Bay_flooding_tsunami
2011_Kailua_Bay_flooding_tsunami
2011_Tsunami_Alii_Drive_Kailua-Kona
2011_Tsunami_Alii_Drive_Kailua-Kona
2011-Kailua-Kona-King Kamehameha Hotel restaurant and bar
2011-Kailua-Kona-King Kamehameha Hotel restaurant and bar
2011-Kailua-Kona-water receding
2011-Kailua-Kona-water receding
2011-Kealakekua_Bay-House_in_Bay
2011-Kealakekua_Bay-House_in_Bay
2011-Keauhou_Bay_Damage
2011-Keauhou_Bay_Damage
2011-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging
2011-Keauhou_Bay-water_surging
2011-Kona-kailua-kona_flooding_2011_ tsunami wave flooding in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on March 11. Note that pier is covered.
2011-Kona-kailua-kona_flooding_2011_ tsunami wave flooding in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on March 11. Note that pier is covered.
2011-Kona-kailuakona_receding_water_2011_tsunami wave receding in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on March 11.
2011-Kona-kailuakona_receding_water_2011_tsunami wave receding in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on March 11.
2011-Kona-kailua-kona_street_2011_street flooded and damaged in Kailua-Kona
2011-Kona-kailua-kona_street_2011_street flooded and damaged in Kailua-Kona
2011-The ocean receding from Pelekane Bay at Pu`ukohola Heiau National Historic Site
2011-The ocean receding from Pelekane Bay at Pu`ukohola Heiau National Historic Site
2011-Japan_Tsunami (2011) Marine Debris-simulation map
2011-Japan_Tsunami (2011) Marine Debris-simulation map

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Filed Under: Economy, General Tagged With: Hawaii, Tsunami

Comments

  1. jean says

    June 30, 2018 at 9:23 am

    Thank you for this tsunami recap and great photos.

    Reply

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