The largest wave in the world was recorded on July 9, 1958 in Alaska. Wave 524 meters high hit Lituya Bay.
A giant wave was formed as a result of an earthquake and the subsequent landslide. The power of the earthquake was 7.9 points, according to some sources 8.3 points (it was the strongest earthquake in the previous 50 years in this region). From a height of 1100 meters, 300 million cubic meters of rock, ice and stones fell on the bay. The speed of the resulting wave was 160 km / h, it practically destroyed the La Gaussi spit, which was in the path of the "giant", and the largest wave in the world uprooted trees.
At that time, there were three fishing ships in the bay, which were also destroyed. Luckily, the crews of the two ships managed to escape. 2 hours after the incident, not far from Lituya Bay, they were picked up by a rescue ship. However, the crew of the third vessel, consisting of two people, failed to escape, their bodies were never found.
In second place among the largest waves on Earth is 250 meter wave, formed on May 18, 1980 on the Spirit Lake (Spirit Lake) in the state of Washington (USA). The event began with an earthquake that collapsed part of the rock from the mountainside, as a result of which the heated liquid inside the volcano turned into steam and an explosion occurred, equal in power to 20 million tons of TNT.
In third place in the list of the most gigantic waves in the world, you can put 100 meters high wave, which was recorded in 1792 in Japan. It was formed as a result of the collapse of part of Mount Unzen (Unzen), the collapse occurred due to a powerful earthquake (6.4 points). A giant wave covered the nearby settlement. About 15 thousand people died.
Another tragedy associated with huge waves occurred on October 9, 1963 at the Vaiont dam in Italy (Belluno province). Big 90 meters high wave was formed as a result of the collapse of a huge stone massif with an area of 2 square meters in the reservoir. km. A giant wave went through the lower lying areas at a speed of about 10 m / s, washing away everything in its path. According to various sources, from 2 to 3 thousand people died, several settlements were completely destroyed.
According to many scientists, the largest waves in the world will not be formed as a result of earthquakes, but as a result of collapses of large mountain ranges on the coast or near water bodies. Scientists have already compiled a list of possible rock collapse areas and identify 4 main places:
1) Hawaiian Islands. Experts believe that landslides from local volcanoes could cause waves up to 1 kilometer high.
2) British Columbia (Canada). Some geologists believe that part of Mount Breckenridge could collapse into Harrison Lake, after which a large wave would form that could wash away the tourist town of Harrison Hot Springs (95 kilometers from Vancouver)
3) Canary Islands. The special attention of scientists (in particular, the English volcanologist William McGuire, the American seismologist Stephen Ward and others) is attracted by the island of La Palma with its chain of Cumbre Vieja volcanoes. Scientists say that as a result of the earthquake, a mountain mass with an area of 500 cubic kilometers could collapse, which could form the largest wave in the world with a height of more than 1 kilometer, which will spread in a westerly direction. Predominantly hit the east coast of South and North America. Upon reaching cities such as Boston, Miami, New York, etc. wave height can be from 20 to 50 meters.
4) Cape Verde Islands (Cape Verde). The local steep cliffs can also pose a great danger.
There is also an interesting and still little-studied phenomenon in the world called "Killer Waves". These are huge single waves, the height of which is from 20 to 34 meters. The first officially recorded case of the appearance of a killer wave occurred on the oil platform "Dropner" on January 1, 1995, off the Norwegian coast. Its height was 25.6 meters.
Interestingly, killer waves appear out of nowhere, unlike the same tsunamis, which are caused by landslides and earthquakes. It is believed that killer waves arise due to their transformation while moving across the ocean, as well as the features of their own dynamics.
A feature of the killer wave is also that it exerts much more pressure on the object (ship, oil platform, etc.). One sq. a meter of surface experiences a pressure of 100 tons, while an ordinary wave 12 meters high exerts a pressure of 12 tons. One can imagine what a killer wave could do to a ship, given that most ships can only carry 15 tons.
Why does Nazar have the biggest waves in the world? July 15th, 2017
There is a place in the world from which photos and video reports about giant waves are often taken. For the past few years, records in Big Wave surfing for the largest wave taken (both by hand and with the help of a jet) have been set on the same Nazaré wave. The first such record was set by Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara in 2011 - the wave height was 24 meters. Then, in 2013, he broke his record by riding a wave 30 meters high.
Why exactly in this place are the biggest waves in the world?
Let's first recall the mechanism of wave formation:
So, it all starts far, far away in the ocean, where strong winds blow and storms rage. As we know from the school geography course, the wind blows from an area with high pressure to an area of low pressure. In the ocean, these areas are separated by many kilometers, so the wind blows over a very large area of the ocean, transferring some of its energy to the water through friction. Where it happens, the ocean is more like a bubbling soup - have you ever seen a storm at sea? It's about the same there, only the scale is larger. There are small and large waves, all mixed up, superimposed on each other. However, the energy of water also does not stand still, but moves in a certain direction.
Due to the fact that the ocean is very, very large, and waves of different sizes move at different speeds, during the time that all this seething porridge reaches the shore, it is “sifted”, some small waves add up to others into large ones, others, on the contrary, mutually are destroyed. As a result, what is called Groung Swell comes to the shore - smooth ridges of waves, divided into sets from three to nine with large intervals of calm between them.
However, not every swell is destined to become surfing waves. Although, it is more correct to say - not everywhere. In order for a wave to be caught, it must break in a certain way. Wave formation for surfing depends on the structure of the bottom in the coastal zone. The ocean is very deep, so the mass of water moves evenly, but as it approaches the coast, the depth begins to decrease, and the water that moves closer to the bottom, for lack of another way out, begins to rise to the surface, thereby raising waves. In the place where the depth, or rather shallowness, reaches a critical value, the rising wave can no longer become larger and collapses. The place where this happens is called the lineup, and that's where the surfers sit, waiting for the right wave.
The shape of the wave directly depends on the shape of the bottom: the sharper it becomes shallow, the sharper the wave. Usually the sharpest and even trumpeting waves are born where the height difference is almost instantaneous, for example, at the bottom of a huge stone or the beginning of a reef plateau.
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Where the drop is gradual and the bottom is sandy, the waves are gentler and slower. It is these waves that are best suited for learning to surf, so all surf schools conduct the first lessons for beginners on sandy beaches.
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Of course, there are other factors that affect the waves, for example, the same wind: it can improve or worsen the quality of the waves depending on the direction. In addition, there are so-called wind swells, these are waves that do not have time to “sift” with distance, since the storm rages not so far from the coast.
So, now about the highest waves. Thanks to the winds, huge energy is accumulated, which then moves towards the coast. As it approaches the coast, the oceanic swell transforms into waves, but unlike other places on our planet, a surprise awaits it off the coast of Portugal.
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The thing is that it is in the area of the city of Nazare that the seabed is a huge canyon with a depth of 5000 meters and a length of 230 kilometers. This means that the oceanic swell does not undergo changes, but reaches, as it is, to the very continent, collapsing on the coastal rocks with all its might. Wave height is usually measured as the distance from the crest to the base (where, by the way, something like a trough is often sucked in, which increases the height compared to if measured by mean sea level at a given tide height).
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However, unlike such waves as Mavericks or Teahupu, on Nazar the ridge, even if it collapses, never hangs over the base, moreover, about 40 meters separate it from the bottom point along the horizontal axis. Due to spatial perspective distortion, when viewed from the front, we see a water block of 30 meters, technically, it is even larger, but this is not a wave height. That is, strictly speaking, Nazaré is not a wave, but a water mountain, a pure oceanic swell, powerful and unpredictable.
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However, the fact that Nazaré is not exactly a wave does not make this spot any less scary and dangerous. Garrett McNamara says that Nazar is incredibly difficult to pass. Usually three people help him in the water: one pulls him out on a jet to the lineup, accelerates him into a wave and does not swim far to make sure that everything is in order with the surfer. He is backed up by a second jet, as well as a third one a little further away, whose driver is watching all three. Also, Garrett's wife is standing on a rock near the lighthouse and tells him on the radio which waves are coming and which one can be taken. On the day he set his second record, not everything went smoothly. The first driver was knocked off the jet by a wave, so the second had to pull Garrett out of the foam, and the third hurried to help the first. Everything was done clearly and quickly, so no one was hurt.
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Garrett himself says the following: “Of course, all these safety nets and technical devices in surfing on big waves are a kind of cheating. And in principle, you can do without them, but in this case, the chances of dying are much higher. As for me personally, since I had a wife and children, I feel more responsibility for them and fear for my life, so I go to all technical tricks in order to most likely return home alive. ”
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Ocean, sand, beach, cocktail, sun lounger and waves 30 meters high. Yes, it's all in one place, but, fortunately, at different times. How can this be? We leave for the town of Nazare on the west coast of Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see both a relaxed beach holiday and the biggest waves in the world.
This landmark of Portugal is located between the capital of Lisbon and the city of Porto.
In summer, the small resort town of Nazare, with a population of about 15,000, is a classic tourist attraction in the country. Its long sandy beaches are occupied by tourists from all over the world. They bask in the gentle sun, bathe in the Atlantic Ocean. All in all, a relaxing holiday.
In winter, everything changes dramatically. Beach tourists are replaced by extreme people and lovers of unusual natural phenomena. During this period, you can observe the formation of giant waves that crash on the coast almost at arm's length. This phenomenon, incredible in its power and amazing in its beauty, attracts both travelers and the most desperate surfers.
Who produces the biggest waves on the planet
Once again, we recall that almost everything amazing, beautiful, sometimes frightening, but bewitching on our planet is produced by nature. In this case, the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazare, in particular the underwater North Nazare Canyon, became the creator of giant waves. This depression in the bottom surface reaches almost to the very shore, forming a kind of springboard for ocean waves.
It should be noted that Nazare Canyon is recognized as the deepest in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. It is located not parallel to the coast, but perpendicular. Its length is 227 km, and the depth reaches 5 kilometers (this is almost half the depth of the Mariana Trench). As you approach the coast, the depth decreases sharply, creating a barrier to the path of the wave and multiplying its height. There are conditions under which colossal masses of water must jump over this obstacle. Do not forget, all this happens in close proximity to tourists.
In the pictures below you can see the geological reasons for the appearance of huge waves.
A typical scheme for the formation of a giant wave But that is not all. The bottom topography alone is not enough to get the highest waves. This requires a combination of many factors.
Hell of a cocktail to get the biggest waves
The presence of the canyon creates special conditions for the creation of large waves. It splits the wave into two parts. One part increases its speed when passing through the canyon, and the second part reunites with the first part at the exit of the canyon into one big wave.
The opposite ocean current coming from the beach can add a few more meters.
For the birth of a giant wave, the wave period is important, which should be about 14 seconds. The wind, oddly enough, should be weak. The direction of the wave is very important, ideally it should come from the west or northwest. As a plus to these factors, storms are added in the northern part of the Atlantic, occurring during the autumn - winter. The combination of these factors can increase several times the usual ocean wave.
How often do big waves appear
Looking at the photos on the Internet, as well as on our website, you might think that giant waves in Nazar are formed almost every minute. But it's not. A little higher, you learned how many phenomena are required to come together to get a huge wave. It doesn't happen that often.
The Big Waves season in Nazaré falls between October and February. During these months, there are usually 1 to 6 giant waves and tens and hundreds of much smaller waves. If you want to see a truly huge wave, then plan to spend at least 2 weeks here, or follow the forecasts on surfer sites. For a large wave, the forecast should indicate a wave size of more than 3 meters, a wave period of more than 13 seconds, and a slight northerly wind.
If you are already there, then check the state of the sea in real time through the online forecast and webcams. But, even if all forecasts point to ideal conditions for the occurrence of large waves, then everything can change in just an hour and ruin a day with a favorable forecast.
But in Peru you can see the longest sea waves in the world. They are much safer than the waves in Nazar, and you can ride them for up to several minutes in a row, passing more than one hundred meters on the crest of one wave.
The story of conquering the giant waves of Nazaré
There are people in the world who "don't feed honey", just let them conquer the biggest waves. They are usually called surfers. They, probably, with the advent of boards, began to collect the best places for their hobby around the planet. They did not bypass the waves near the city of Nazare. For the first time, surfers were noticed here back in the 60s of the last century. Since then they have been frequent guests here. But there is no data on the conquest of huge waves. It was only in November 2011 that the world learned about the taking of the biggest wave. Then Gareth McNamara, a surfer from the Hawaiian Islands, conquered a wave 24 meters high. The brave comrade did not calm down and in January 2013 he broke his own record by taking a 30-meter wave.
Gareth was the first to describe the sensations of such adventures. This proved to be incredibly difficult due to the unpredictability of wave behavior.
In this event, McNamara involved three assistants and one wife (his own). At the moment of wave formation, the first assistant on the jet ski tries to drag the surfer as high as possible on the crest, and keeps close to him for safety net. Look at the photo of these waves, and you will understand that it is unrealistic to swim to them on your own.
A little further away, the second assistant runs and insures both. The third one watches over all the others. And from the shore, a gray-haired wife watches everything and gives instructions to her husband on how best to catch the wave.
The first time everything went well and no help was needed, but the second time he proved the effectiveness of triple insurance. Then the first assistant was washed away by a wave from the jet ski, and the second assistant pulled out the surfer, and the third one pulled out the first one.
The danger of such adventures is extremely high, so surfers try not to climb waves 30 meters high without much need. They only do it for the records.
In October 2013, Brazilian surfer Carlos Berl rode a wave that turned out to be even bigger. But there is no absolutely accurate data on the height of subdued waves, since it is rather problematic to make measurements.
Annual meeting of surfers in Nazar
Despite the danger of such big waves, since 2016 Nazare has hosted a meeting or competition of surfers Nazare Challenge - WSL Big Wave Tour under the control of the World Surf League. This competition brings together the best surfers from all over the world and lasts only one day. In addition, it does not have a fixed date. It all depends on the forecasts of the state of the sea. The period of holding or better to say waiting is from October 15 to February 28. The day of the competition is approved 3 days before its holding. This is the best that can be achieved with modern sea and wind forecasting technology.
For surfers, this is a milestone event. Here is how one of the participants describes it -
"What followed after the starting signal was a dizzying, wild and unprecedented display of courage, stupidity and skill"
Where is the best place to watch the biggest waves
The best way to watch a giant wave is to stand on its crest on a surfboard. Any surfer will say that. Well, for ordinary tourists it is best to do this from Cape Nazare, on which the lighthouse is located. Since the place is very interesting, you are unlikely to get lost. Fort San Miguel Arcanjo is also located here. You can also go down to the sand on the beach via a dirt road, but be very careful. In the Big Wave season it is very dangerous.
Now, in addition to big waves, the attraction of Nazare are surfers who “ride” them. This, incidentally, gives a good idea of the size of the waves. When you see a little man running away from a huge multi-ton wave, you can imagine how great and powerful not only the Russian language is, but also the Atlantic Ocean.
- As a rule, many famous surf spots have a bottom topography similar to that near Nazare, but on a smaller scale. The most famous are Teahupoo in Tahiti, Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and Maverick's Beach off the coast of California.
- Local fishermen have long been afraid of this place. There have been several shipwrecks here. At the bottom of the canyon is a sunken German submarine from World War II.
Where do giant waves come from?
What causes the appearance of most waves in the oceans and seas, about the energy of the waves and about the most gigantic waves.
The main reason for the appearance of ocean waves is the influence of winds on the water surface. The speed of some waves can develop and even exceed 95 km per hour. Ridge from ridge can be separated by 300 meters. They travel great distances across the surface of the ocean. Most of their energy is used up before they reach land, perhaps bypassing the deepest place in the world- The Mariana Trench. And yes, they are getting smaller. And if the wind calms down, then the waves become calmer and smoother.
If there is a strong breeze in the ocean, then the height of the waves usually reaches 3 meters. If the wind starts to become stormy, then they can become 6 m. In a strong gale, their height can already be more than 9 m and they become steep, with abundant spray.
During a storm, when visibility is difficult in the ocean, the height of the waves exceeds 12 meters. But during a severe storm, when the sea is completely covered with foam and even small ships, yachts or ships (and not just fish, even the biggest fish) can simply get lost between 14 waves.
The beat of the waves
Large waves gradually wash away the coast. Small waves can slowly level the beach with sediment. Waves hit the shores at a certain angle, therefore, sediment washed away in one place will be carried out and deposited in another.
During the strongest hurricanes or storms, such changes can occur that huge stretches of the coast can suddenly transform significantly.
And not only the coast. Once upon a time, in 1755, very far from us, waves of 30 meters high blew Lisbon off the face of the earth, submerging the city's buildings under tons of water, turning them into ruins and killing more than half a million people. And it happened on a big Catholic holiday - All Saints' Day.
killer waves
The largest waves are usually observed along the Needle Current (or Agulhas Current), off the coast of South Africa. Here it was also noted highest wave in the ocean. Its height was 34 m. In general, the largest wave ever seen was recorded by Lieutenant Frederick Margo on a ship on its way from Manila to San Diego. It was February 7, 1933. The height of that wave was also about 34 meters. Sailors gave the nickname "killer waves" to such waves. As a rule, an unusually high wave is always preceded by the same deep depression (or dip). It is known that a large number of ships disappeared in such hollows-failures. By the way, the waves that form during the tides are not connected with the tides. They are caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption on the sea or ocean floor, which creates the movement of huge masses of water and, as a result, large waves.
Tsunamis are the largest and most powerful ocean waves that sweep away everything in their path with terrifying force. A feature of such a dangerous natural cataclysm is the size of the moving wave, its enormous speed, the gigantic distance between the crests, which reaches tens of kilometers. The tsunami poses an extreme danger to the coastal zone. Approaching the shore, the wave picks up tremendous speed, shrinks in front of the obstacle, grows significantly in size and inflicts a crushing and irreparable blow to the land zone.
What caused this huge surge of water, which leaves no chance for the existence of even the highest and fortified structures? What natural forces can create a water tornado and deprive cities and regions of the right to survive? The movement of tectonic plates and splits in the earth's crust are the worst harbingers of the collapse of a giant stream.
The largest tsunami in the world in the history of mankind
What is the largest wave in the world? Flipping through the pages of history. The date of July 9, 1958 is well remembered by the people of Alaska. It was this day that became fatal for the Lituya Fjord, which is located in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Alaska. The harbinger of the historic event was an earthquake, the magnitude of which, according to measurements, is 9.1 points. This is what caused the terrifying rockfall, which caused the collapse of rocks and a wave of unprecedented magnitude.
The whole day of July 9 was clear and sunny weather. The water level dropped by 1.5 meters, fishermen were fishing on ships (Lituya Bay has always been a favorite place for avid fishermen). Toward evening, around 22:00 local time, a landslide that rolled into the water from a height of 910 meters pulled huge stones and blocks of ice after it. The total weight of the mass was approximately 300 million cubic meters. The northern part of the bay of Lituya Bay was completely flooded with water. At the same time, a giant pile of stones was thrown to the opposite side, as a result of which the entire green massif of the Fairweather coast was destroyed.
A landslide of this magnitude provoked the appearance of a huge wave, the height of which was 524 meters! This is approximately a house of 200 floors! It was the largest and highest wave in the world. The gigantic force of the flow of ocean water literally washed away Lituya Bay. The tidal wave picked up speed (by this time it had already accelerated to 160 km / h) and rushed towards the island of Cenotaphia. Terrible landslides simultaneously descended from the mountains to the water, carrying a column of dust and stones. The wave was so large that the foot of the mountain was hidden under it.
Trees and green spaces that covered the slopes of the mountains were uprooted and sucked into the water column. The tsunami now and then rushed from side to side inside the bay, covering the points of the shallows and sweeping away the forest covers of the high northern mountains in its path. From the spit of La Gaussy, which separated the waters of the bay and Gilbert's Bay, there was not a trace left. After everything calmed down, on the shore one could see catastrophic cracks in the ground, severe destruction and blockages. The buildings erected by the fishermen were completely destroyed. The scale of the disaster could not be estimated.
This wave claimed the lives of about three hundred thousand people. Only the longboat managed to escape, which, by some incredible miracle, was thrown out of the bay and thrown across the shallows. Once on the other side of the mountain, the fishermen were left without a boat, but were rescued two hours later. The bodies of the fishermen of another longboat were carried away into the abyss of water. They were never found.
Another terrible tragedy
Terrible destruction remained after the invasion of the tsunami on December 26, 2004 for the inhabitants of the coast of the Indian Ocean. A powerful jolt in the ocean caused a disastrous wave. In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, near the island of Sumatra, a fracture of the earth's crust occurred, which provoked a displacement of the bottom over a distance of more than 1000 kilometers. The largest wave ever to hit the coast came from this fault. At first, its height was no more than 60 centimeters. But it accelerated, and now a 20-meter shaft was rushing at an insane, unprecedented speed of 800 kilometers per hour towards the islands of Sumatra and Thailand to the east of India and Sri Lanka to the west! In eight hours, the terrible power of a tsunami, unprecedented in history until now, circled the entire coast of the Indian Ocean, and in 24 hours the entire World Ocean!
The biggest destruction happened on the coast of Indonesia. The tidal wave buried cities and districts tens of kilometers inland. The islands of Thailand have become a mass grave for tens of thousands of people. The inhabitants of the coastal areas had no chance of salvation, since the water blanket held the cities under it for more than 15 minutes. Huge human casualties were the result of a natural disaster. The economic losses were also impossible to count. More than 5 million people were forced to leave their homes, more than one million needed help, two million people needed new housing. International organizations responded and helped the victims in every possible way.
Disaster in Prince William Bay
Strong, irreplaceable losses were caused by an earthquake on March 27, 1964 in the Prince William Sound (Alaska) of 9.2 on the Richter scale. They covered a huge area of 800,000 square kilometers. Such a powerful push from a depth of more than 20 kilometers can be compared with the simultaneous explosion of 12,000 atomic bombs! The western coast of the United States of America was significantly affected, which literally covered a huge tsunami. The wave reached the Antarctic and Japan. Villages and settlements, enterprises, the city of Valdez were wiped off the face of the earth.
The wave swept away everything that came in its way: dams, concrete blocks, houses, buildings, ships in the port. The wave height reached 67 meters! This, of course, is not the biggest wave in the world, but it brought a lot of destruction. Fortunately, a deadly stream claimed the lives of about 150 people. The number of victims could be much higher, but due to the sparsely populated areas of these places, only 150 local residents died. Given the area and the gigantic power of the stream, they had no chance of surviving.
Great East Japan Earthquake
What force of nature destroyed the coast of Japan and brought irreparable losses to its inhabitants, one can only imagine. After this catastrophe, the consequences will be felt for many years to come. At the junction of two of the world's largest lithospheric plates, an earthquake with a power of 9.0 on the Richter scale, and approximately twice the force of the tremors caused by the earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004, occurred. The tragic event of a huge scale is also called the "Great East Japan Earthquake". Literally in 20 minutes, a terrifying wave, the height of which exceeded 40 meters, reached the shores of Japan, where there were a large number of people.
About 25 thousand people became victims of the tsunami. It was the biggest wave in the history of the inhabitants of the East. But that was only the beginning of the disaster. The scale of the tragedy grew with every hour after the attack by the most powerful stream of the Fokushima-1 nuclear power plant. The system of the power plant went out of operation due to tremors and shock waves. The failure was followed by the meltdown of the reactors at the power units. Today, a zone within a radius of tens of kilometers is a zone of exclusion and disaster. About 400 thousand buildings and structures were destroyed, bridges, railways, roads, airports, ports and shipping stations were destroyed. It will take years to rebuild the country after the terrible catastrophe brought by the highest wave.
Disaster on the coast of Papua New Guinea
Another disaster struck the coast of Papua New Guinea in July 1998. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on the measurement scale, initiated by a powerful landslide, caused a wave of more than 15 meters in height, which took the lives of more than 200 thousand people, leaving thousands more homeless on the island. Before the invasion of ocean water, there was a small bay called Varupu, the waters of which washed two islands, where the people of Varupu peacefully lived, worked and traded. Two powerful and unexpected impulses from underground happened with an interval of 30 minutes.
They set in motion a huge shaft, which caused strong waves that demolished several villages from the face of New Guinea for a length of 30 kilometers. Residents of seven other settlements needed medical assistance and were hospitalized. The sea level in the capital of New Guinea, Rabaul, has risen by 6 centimeters. A tidal wave of this magnitude has not been observed before, although in this region local residents often suffer from disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes. A giant wave destroyed and swept under water an area of more than 100 square kilometers to a depth of 4 meters.
Tsunami in the Philippines
Exactly until August 16, 1976, there was a small island of Mindanao in the oceanic depression of Cotabato. It was the most southern, picturesque and exotic place among all the islands of the Philippines. Local residents could not at all predict that a terrible earthquake with a power of 8 points on the Richter scale would destroy this amazing place, washed by the seas from all sides. A huge force formed a tsunami as a result of an earthquake.
The wave seemed to cut off the entire coastline of Mindanao. 5 thousand people who did not have time to escape died under the shelter of sea water. Approximately 2.5 thousand inhabitants of the island were not found, 9.5 thousand received various degrees of injury, more than 90 thousand lost their homes and remained on the street. It was the strongest activity in the history of the Philippine Islands. Scientists who studied the details of the disaster found that the power of such a natural phenomenon caused the movement of the water mass, which provoked a shift in the islands of Sulawesi and Borneo. It was the worst and most devastating event in the history of the island of Mindanao.
